Indiana Pacers big man Myles Turner exited the February 6 game against the Los Angeles Clippers after six minutes due to a head injury. He did not return in the win and missed the following three games as well. At the All-Star break, the Texas native missed four of the last six games.
With the Pacers set to begin the second half of the season on Thursday against the Memphis Grizzlies, the team has yet to confirm that Turner will make his return then. However, Pacers fans now at least have a better idea of when Turner could see the court again. Fortunately, the wait should not be long.
Myles Turner should be ready to go against Memphis
During a media session at practice on Tuesday, Turner joked with Bennedict Mathurin about how he accidentally injured him during the Pacers' win against the Clippers a couple of weeks ago. Fortunately, the two Pacers were able to laugh with one another before Mathurin made it clear that "Myles is back."
"It's All-Star break, everyone's in a good mood, why we trying to go back to it, man?" Mathurin asked with a smile as the media laughed at the exchange. "Yo, Myles is back. That's all we know. That's all we want. So leave me alone, and have a good night."
In the three full games without Turner right before the All-Star break, the Pacers went 1-2 and were dangerously close to entering the break on a three-game losing streak with their come-from-behind victory against the Washington Wizards. Without Turner on the court, the Pacers looked sloppy and clearly lacked on both sides of the ball.
While Thomas Bryant did well as a temporary starter, the Pacers should be happy that Turner will return soon. This season, Turner is averaging 15.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game. He has played a crucial role in the Pacers' mid-season turnaround and is essential to the team's defense. Furthermore, he is important to the Pacers' chances at championship contention this season.
Though they are still a level below the top teams in the East like the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, the Pacers are still knocking on the door of being a top-tier team in the conference. They are a tough playoff matchup and can go head-to-head with any team in the NBA.
With a 30-23 record, the Pacers own the No. 4 seed in the East and are in line for another playoff appearance. For the rest of the season, as long as Turner and the rest of the Pacers remain healthy, the sky is the limit for them. They made a conference finals appearance last year, but they are aiming for something bigger than that--an NBA championship.