I have been hearing Myles Turner’s name in trade rumors over the past 3 seasons and if the Pacers front office has not traded Myles Turner it goes to show they still feel he could become good enough to convince Victor Oladipo to stick around another 3-4 years in Indiana. Myles Turner up until now has proven he could be an elite rim protector and get you 15 to 25 points a night. He is far from being an elite rebounder but for a player his size and with that kind of athleticism it’s astonishing that he shoots over 70 percent from the free-throw line and has shot over 30 percent from 3 point range every season except his first. Victor Oladipo feels the Indiana Pacers could win an NBA title otherwise he would be asking out of Indiana and I personally believe if Myles Turner has the season I am expecting he will re-up for another couple years in Indiana.
No one ever speaks about the Indiana Pacers it seems, I remember watching them as a teenager in high-school when they won upwards of 60 games and Jermaine O’Neal and Ron Artest were leading the way. That team had the potential to win a NBA title but fell short, the Indiana Pacers have been waiting for over 5 years for Myles Turner to take a leap and I believe it is coming soon. I remember someone doing a NBA 2k simulation and Myles Turner won league MVP and I thought to myself man he has that sort of potential for someone selected 11th overall? Not often do great players come outside the top 10 of a draft but then I think of John Stockton,Kobe Bryant,Giannis Antetokoumpo, and many others who ended up becoming top of the line superstars. Will Myles Turner ever be that great? I highly doubt it but he could be a 3 to 4 time all-star during his career if he fulfills his potential.
It seems Victor Oladipo,Domantas Sabonis,and TJ Warren will be the Pacers main 3 scoring options with Malcolm Brogdon likely being the 4th and Myles Turner being the 5th option. I could see Myles Turner leap frogging Malcolm Brogdon assuming Malcolm Brogdon brings down his shot attempts becuase we must remember Victor Oladipo was not around much last season. Myles Turner is a legitimate stretch 5 and more than likely will take a couple more 3 points attempts per game under head coach Nate Bjorkgren who I will guess is a more offensive-minded head coach as opposed to Nate McMIllan who did a great job setting a defense-first mentality for the Indiana Pacers and sharing the same unselfish approach Gregg Poppovich preaches in San Antonio. All I can think of is the Indiana Pacers front office feeling Nate McMillan was not doing his job when it came to developing Myles Turner.
Myles Turner very rarely posts up or scores off isolation in the post, more than likely he is shooting 3 pointers off kick-out passes or shooting face up jumpers which is fine but maybe Nate McMillan should have ran the offense through the post more often. Myles Turner is not necessarily known for his passing and he is not the best passer out of the post but ultimately the objective should be to get Myles Turner to be move aggressive offensively. He barely took 10 shots a game not that he should be taking 20-25 shots a night but he should be taking 14 to 17 shots a night consistently and up his 3 point attempts since he shoots a high percentage. Having a floor spacing 5 who can bring out defenses is vital, look at how much damage Nikola Jokic did to the Los Angeles Clippers by being able to punish them from the 3 point line in the bubble.
To conclude no one is picking the Indiana Pacers to make the NBA Finals this coming season but if Myles Turner makes the leap they could make their first NBA Finals since 2000 when they made it behind Reggie Miller,Jalen Rose, and Mark Jackson. I have not mentioned Domantas Sabonis who pairs up alongside Myles Turner, Domantas’s game is based off skill with foot-work,and finesse moves in the post. He is not the 3-point shooter and shot-blocker Myles Turner but they compliment each other because they make up for each others weaknesses and they have two play-making guards at the top of the key in Malcolm Brogdon and Victor Oladipo who will be sure to get them the ball on drives to the basket. I understand Kevin Durant is coming back for Brooklyn, I also know that Tyler Herro’s emergence in Miami will only make them even more lethal, Simmons and Embiid are out to prove themselves in Philly, it won’t be easy but Myles Turner has the potential to help the Indiana Pacers crush all those teams come play-off time, here’s to a break-out for Myles Turner.
D-NBA 