Myles Turner is entering his tenth season with the Indiana Pacers in the final year of his contract but it’s nothing he hasn’t been through before.
“I can’t help but laugh. I’m going to keep it a stack,” Turner said while laughing at media day. “Every year in Indiana has been a contract year at this point. Whether you’re fighting rumors or you’re staying true to your grind and whatnot. I don’t feel too different because at the end of the day the success we had last year is what I’ve become obsessed with.”
It’s safe to say that Turner has survived the most trade rumors without actually being dealt in the entire NBA as the only players who have been with their team longer than the Texas center has been with the Pacers are Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, and Dwight Powell.
But this Turner contract year certainly feels different than the last time he was in this situation heading into the 2022-23 season. At media day two years ago, the Pacers were just beginning what they believed could be a long rebuild. Turner was always professional considering the team had openly tried to replace him with Deandre Ayton in the off-season but seemed resigned to the fact that he wasn’t likely to be in Indiana much longer.
“There are no hard feelings in this business,” said Turner that day. “… as long as I’m in this uniform I’ll go out there and represent this state how it’s supposed to be represented and represent myself in the same manner.”
How quickly things can change from Turner openly pitching to the Lakers organization why they should trade for him on the Woj Pod a few weeks after that media day to the chemistry with Tyrese Haliburton building quickly and the team being better than expected both leading to Turner and the organization agreeing to an extension before the trade deadline. Fast forward back to the present following an incredible post-season run that had the Indiana crowd chanting his name before he hit yet another deep 3-pointer against the Milwaukee Bucks in an iconic moment.
Because of the way his current contract was structured, Turner can’t be extended this time around and will be a free agent for the first time in his career this summer. The Pacers organization wants him here beyond this season and sees the immense value in their center with a rare combination of skills that allow him to seamlessly fit next to their star duo in Haliburton and Pascal Siakam.
“We’re a big believer in Myles and we want him to be here,” Buchanan told reporters last week. “… With Tyrese and Pascal being our primary offensive threats, the way he compliments both of those guys, it’s hard to find somebody in the league that does it better.”
Haliburton and Turner were the leagues best duo in terms of efficiency in the pick and roll and led the league in assist connections with 215. 29 more assists than second place duo of Kings duo Domas Sabonis and Keegan Murray. Once Siakam was acquired by the Pacers, there were reports about Siakam wanting to play with Turner for a long time because of his ability to space the floor, something he never had in a frontcourt partner while with the Raptors.
Turner has been open about being unhappy during the time he spent playing out of his natural position next to Sabonis but now he oozes with a new level of confidence and pride in both his ability and his place in the Pacers franchise where only Reggie Miller, Jeff Foster, Rik Smits, Vern Fleming, and Dale Davis can match or exceed his 10 years with the franchise.
“I did a lot of reflecting this summer,” Turner said. “ …There were about three or four years in Indy that got stagnant for me where I felt like I was just going through the motions. But as it may be, I am the motion now. I feel like everybody kind of follows what I do in this city. I’ve grown into this leadership role here.”
That playoff run last season has become the motivation for the veteran Turner as he looks to get the Pacers back to the conference finals and beyond. He said he’s become obsessed with the process and kept it simple with how he and the team can be better.
Turner has grown in his leadership as the elder statesman of the team and hosted his fellow big men, James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson, in Dallas prior to the players-only minicamp at Siakam’s home in Orlando the next week. Assistant coach Lloyd Pierce was credited by both Turner and Jackson as encouraging them to get together.
Accountability seems to be a common thread for what Turner is preaching to his teammates as he could heard delivering a similar message in one of Siakam’s behind-the-scenes videos from mini-camp. While the Pacers had the second-best record in the Eastern Conference against teams above .500 last season, trailing only the eventual champion Boston Celtics, they were among the worst playoff teams against below .500 opponents last season. Accountability just in taking every opponent seriously could go a long way in trying to earn homecourt advantage in a first-round series.
Turner, the franchise leader in block shots, averaged 17.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game last season.
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[…] Pilier défensif, intérieur pratique en attaque et parfait relai derrière Haliburton et Siakam, Turner a trouvé son rôle à Indiana. Son leadership a clairement progressé, il montre l’exemple dans l’envie, il est le joueur que la franchise attend de lui. Ironie de la situation, le joueur se retrouve en fin de contrat et puisque son deal actuel avait été restructuré il y a deux ans, il n’est pas éligible à une prolongation pour le moment. En fait, Indiana ne pourra le prolonger qu’en fin de saison, soit dans la période juste avant la Free Agency, soit dès le 1er juillet. Une situation qui ne perturbe pas plus que ça le joueur, lequel vit avec les rumeurs depuis son arrivée dans la Ligue. Des propos rapportés par IPacers. […]
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