In a recent appearance on The Athletic NBA Daily podcast, Caitlin Cooper of Basketball, She Wrote said that she believes the Indiana Pacers needed an upgrade over Myles Turner even before his departure in free agency to win the late rounds of the playoffs.
Cooper made it clear that, while Turner signing with the Milwaukee Bucks and leaving the Pacers for nothing was "not ideal," this could still be a great opportunity for the team to potentially upgrade at the position and put themselves in an even better situation to succeed than they did with the Texas native.
"I framed it, when the news broke that he was going to be going to Milwaukee, is that this was an opportunity to take a step back in order to potentially take a bigger step forward," Cooper said about the Indiana Pacers losing Myles Turner in free agency. "I said after the Finals and after the Eastern Conference Finals, if you look at what his series was against Boston a year ago, when they got into the deeper rounds of the playoffs, there [were] things about Myles that, while Tyrese definitely enhanced Myles Turner's game, it wasn't always clear how Myles enhanced Tyrese's game."
"So I was kind of the opinion that it's not ideal that he walked for nothing to the Milwaukee Bucks and I certainly didn't foresee that the Bucks would waive Damian Lillard for that to happen, but I was kind of thinking that they were going to need to make a change for that position ultimately anyways for them to get over the hump in the later rounds of the playoffs."
The Pacers still have a major center problem
Following Turner's departure, the Pacers have been tasked with finding his replacement. Early on, things do not look all that promising for Indiana in their quest.
As it stands, Indiana is expected to run a center-by-committee and rely on multiple options to help replace their former long-time big man.
On paper, this makes sense and may be the Pacers' best option, at least right away. Despite his flaws, Turner still had a unique skillset and was a great fit in Indiana. He was able to stretch the floor and protect the rim at a high level, and it was always going to be difficult for the Pacers to find someone who could replicate this, especially this offseason. The team may have found the closest thing in Jay Huff, who they acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies, but they still have a lot of work to do.
Given the circumstances, running a committee at center could be a good thing for the Pacers. Instead of committing to a single one-for-one replacement for Turner, the Pacers will look to utilize multiple big men to make up for his absence and ride the hot hand on a game-by-game basis. However, there are still reasons to be concerned.
In addition to Huff, the Pacers will also utilize James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson (and maybe Tony Bradley) at center. All of these players, for one reason or another, provide a lot of intrigue and value to Indiana, but there is still one big problem: none of them are established starters on championship-level teams.
The Pacers were just one win away from winning their first-ever NBA Championship in June, and it is safe to say they are aiming to make it back ASAP. However, in order for them to do so, they need a reliable starter at center. They will have the whole season to determine their next steps, but currently, the team is leaving a lot to be desired at the position.
Turner's departure may not end up being as bad as many fans think, but until the Pacers find their next center of the future, it will still leave the team with a massive weakness that they must address.