Prior to this Indiana Pacers Eastern Conference Finals run, Myles Turner had never been out of the first round. Not just in the NBA but in his life.
“This has been an incredible journey for me,” said Turner, who lost to Butler in the first round in his one collegiate season at Texas. “This is the first time I’ve been out of the first round in my entire life. The history’s all there going back to high school at Euless Trinity … it took me 28 years of my life to finally get to this point and I couldn’t be more proud of just the progression. I know I have a long way to go. I waited a long time just to get to this point, just want to keep building.”
Turner had the best postseason performance of his career by far while averaging 17 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.5 blocks with great efficiency from the floor. After five first-round losses early in his career, the Pacers won two series in these playoffs, but he didn’t finish the way he hoped as he struggled in the Celtics series especially while playing through back spasms in each of the last two games.
“Myles is a special guy,” said Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle after the Game 4 loss to Boston. “I’m sorry that he got banged up tonight. You could tell that he was having trouble bending over … he just wasn’t the same tonight and that’s too bad. This is the kind of game where you want a guy like that to be absolutely at full strength to experience everything that’s going on.”
Don’t let the final series that still saw Turner put up two 20/10 games sour you on what was a fantastic playoff run overall. With three straight dominant performances against the Milwaukee Bucks that culminated in Turner posterizing Brook Lopez and the Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowd chanting his name with him answering the call by burying one of his 7 3-pointers in Game 4. It was hard not to happy for him in that moment.
In the Knicks series, he made one of the biggest plays of the entire run in the third game of the conference semi-finals by chasing down Josh Hart in transition after a turnover with two minutes left in the game and the Pacers trying to avoid going down 0-3. Without this play, Andrew Nembhard may have been unable to provide the final heroics to win it with the unbelievable game winner.
“I think Myles has done an amazing job being a vet ever since I’ve gotten here. He’s been super welcoming, he’s allowed us to all grow,” Nembhard said of the 9-year veteran. “He’s kind of pushed us on and off the floor to be closer. He has a good vibe about him every day … just a true pro, done a great job for us with a young team.”
Turner’s not perfect, he averaged more turnovers than 3-point attempts against the Celtics, couldn’t consistently make them pay for putting smaller defenders on him, and he’s not going to gobble up a ton of rebounds on his own most nights, but the Pacers don’t get to the conference finals without him. He made every team pay for guarding him with a center and forced them to adjust. While his defense has regressed some over the last couple seasons, his rim protection provided timely stops in each of the first two series as he upped his tally to 432 players blocked and welcomed to the Myles High Club over his career.
“I have a lot of love for Myles Turner,” Rick Carlisle said in his final presser for the season, “for what he stands for, what’s he done here, what he’s been through. He’s very special. 7-foot guys that can protect the rim, make 3s, make mid-range shots and then have his level of character aren’t growing on trees. There’s been a lot of talk over the years about trading him for this, that, and the other. I’m so glad the decision was made by Kevin, Chad, and the organization to stay with Myles. The moves that were made with Tyrese coming on board and Myles going to center full time was a huge lift not only to Myles but to this franchise as well.”
Now all those trades and almost goodbyes feel like nightmare what-ifs (Gordon Hayward sign and trade, Deandre Ayton offer sheet, offering Turner and Buddy Hield for far off Lakers 1st-round picks) and Turner to his credit has stayed the course despite having every reason to have opted to ask for a change in scenery after his umpteenth time in trade blocks but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been frustrating.
“To be frank, I have dealt with a lot of bullshit since I’ve been here honestly,” Turner said when asked about how good this year felt after everything he’s been through. “It’s just been battling sometimes with non-believers, having to deal with all the trade rumors, having another big man signed right in front of my eyes. You can name it, I’ve been through a lot of stuff here. It never deterred my professionalism and my path. I was brought here for a reason and no matter what was thrown in front of me I’m going to continue to be the consummate professional and man that I am. It’s very easy to be like ‘oh this happened so I’m going to give up,’ or ‘they gave up on me so I’m going to give up on them.’ That’s not my M.O.”
Instead of leaving, Turner’s become a bonafide Pacers legend going from a promising, raw rookie that attempted only 14 3-pointers in his first season to making 45.3% on 86 attempts from deep over just 17 playoff games. From blocking LeBron James in his rookie season to leading the league in blocks per game multiple times to becoming the Pacers all-time franchise block leader. Even while his points per game stagnated for years while playing mostly on the perimeter with Domantas Sabonis as the center, Turner was still improving in his efficiency, doing more with less opportunities and improving the quality of the shots he was taking, increasing his 2-point percentage every year for five straight seasons from 51.9% to 66.2% from 2017 to 2022. Then, Tyrese Haliburton came into the fold and unlocked his game in ways fans had long hoped for as the duo became the most potent pick and roll combination in the NBA.
“I remember coming in like in Shep’s shoes,” Turner said of how he felt initially coming into the league, after Game 4 with rookie Ben Sheppard next to him, “just kind of not knowing what to expect and just knowing I was going to lay it all out there and whatever happens, happens. It’s a rarity that one player is with an organization as long as I’ve been. I definitely don’t take it for granted. I have a lot of love for this city and I try to express it as much as I can.”
With just one year left on his contract and being ineligible for an extension due to some obscure salary cap rules, he’ll hit unrestricted free agency for this first time in his career next summer after his 10th season in the NBA. Turner and the Pacers will have a decision to make next summer but no matter what happens you know he’s going to show up and do his job with professionalism until the very end whether that comes after next season, in another five years, or a surprise trade this summer.
“The respect that he has from every guy 1 through 15 couldn’t be higher,” T.J. McConnell said of the Pacers center. “He’s been here, he’s been through trade rumors, through rebuilds, he’s been through it all. The professionalism he’s shown throughout, there aren’t many like him on and off the court. He’s a true professional on the court and a great human being off the court. To have a guy like that here showing the young guys the way, he’s unbelievable.”
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