Myles Turner didn’t have star expectations going into his rookie campaign with the Indiana Pacers last season, but more so a capable prospect with prime potential. Eventually his name became more popular among the truly gifted rookies we saw develop throughout the season, and he proved himself to be the most productive big on the Pacers roster.
For Turner, taking his game to the next level means setting a new standard for how much he can produce as a scorer. Here’s what he told Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders:
Individually, I feel like I can put up big numbers for this team and help in any way necessary. I’d like to see myself put up 15 to 20 points per game. That may seem like a long shot, but I feel like I’m very capable.”
As a 19-year-old rookie, Turner averaged 10.3 points per game. He has good shooting touch, can step out and face-up, and is an athletic finisher around the rim. Turner has spent time on the Team USA Select Team this summer, which has given him more experience to develop around elites:
“I feel like I’ve made huge strides because that pace is so much faster than what people think. I mean, you see them beating up on these foreign teams and now I can definitely see why teams struggle against them. You have to make plays a lot faster and you have to make reads a lot faster, so I feel like that was really good for me.”
Turner’s next phase of progression could very well bump his scoring up, but his team’s need for him to be a volume scorer might be in question. The Pacers have added a slightly more offensive-oriented point guard in Jeff Teague, and have a bit more talent on the wing with Thaddeus Young. They now also have another big who can score the ball in veteran Al Jefferson, who won’t steal too much shine from Turner, but will see the floor and receives his touches.
That said, the Pacers will at times need to determine who can be the secondary scorer to Paul George, so it sounds like Turner will be looking to embrace that opportunity.
