Exit Interviews: Myles Turner

Let it out Myles. You deserve it.

This season was many things for Myles Turner but above all it was a release. The tension between Turner and the Pacers had been mounting for years and it seemed all but guaranteed they were headed for a breakup.  

In some, much less bloody, ways it reminds me of a recent film about the end of a friendship, The Banshees of Inisherin. Like Colin Farrell's character, Myles is "one of life's good guys." Whenever you hear about his off-the-court activities it's for something wholesome, like his W.A.R.M initiative to combat homelessness or his obsession with legos.

On the court, he's always been willing to sacrifice to help the team. He played out of position for years to accommodate Sabonis, seeing his own usage drop as he was relegated to taking catch-and-shoot threes. But like Colin Farrell in the movie, being a "good guy" didn't seem to matter to the other half of the relationship. In Myles's case, he had to sit by while the Pacers publicly and repeatedly tried to trade him. Or perhaps more insultingly, as they attempted to sign DeAndre Ayton to a max deal.

To be clear, my point isn't to vilify the Pacers – the relationship simply wasn't working out and moving Turner was the consensus "smart thing" to do. Going into this year, he was on an expiring contract and the Pacers were heading into a rebuild. Whatever their respective shortcomings, it seemed best for both parties to part ways.

But as our dear friend JonJonNYC will tell you (wherever he may be, under whatever alias), the consensus is often wrong. And so our depressing Irish period piece transformed into a Hollywood rom-com as Turner played his way into contract extension and both sides decided to kiss and makeup.

This year was an unquestionable vindication for Turner, proof that when he's put in the right positions, he is one of the best big men in the league.

Let's dive into what changed for him in '22-'23.  

A New Mentality

Turner credits his newfound aggression, in part, to a shift in his mentality from years past. While he admits that his preference was always to re-sign in Indy, he'd basically accepted that it wasn't going to happen. After all, you can only see yourself photoshopped into other teams' jerseys so many times before the idea takes root.

Rather than let the uncertainty about where he'd be traded distract him, he found that it actually simplified things. It allowed him to put all of his focus on playing basketball, the only thing he could control. This singular mindset translated to the court as he delivered the most decisive play of his career. Myles of the past was often tentative and slow to recognize when to be aggressive. This year he knew exactly where his spots were and how to get to them. He even seems to have found something of a go-to move, a quick turnaround that's impossible to block at his height.

Myles also credits the physical rehab he's had to do over the past few seasons for his mental growth. It taught him to embrace the tedious parts of training that he used to hate – such as crunching towels between his toes to strengthen his ankles. Now he views his job more holistically, which in turn has given him more confidence as a player.  

Playing His Natural Position

The other big shift that happened was the ability to play as the full-time 5 on offense. Although Sabonis was traded at the deadline last year, Turner's season ended in January due to injuries (and tanking), thus preventing him from enjoying the new role until this past October.

As is evident in the chart below, Myles's Usage rate dropped significantly in '19-'20 when the team decided to deploy Turbonis and start both bigs together. With Sabonis out of the way, that Usage skyrocketed back up to just over 20%. Turner rewarded his team's faith by posting the best Points-Per-Shot-Attempt of his career, placing him in the top 24% among bigs.  

In addition to getting more touches, playing the 5 also changed who was guarding Turner. Rather than being hounded on the perimeter by mobile power-forwards, he was now being guarded by slower centers. This gave him more space on his three-point attempts as well as a speed advantage when he faced-up and drove to the rim.  

Unleashed by Haliburton

Finally, Turner credits his resurgence to playing with a true floor general like Tyrese Haliburton for the first time in his career. While Brogdon, McConnell, and Collison were all decent assist-men in their own right, none of them possessed the innate, quick-processing, dime-dropping ability of Tyrese Haliburton. Not only does he create easy looks for his teammates, he makes sure they get the ball in the right spots.

Take a look at Turner's shot charts over the past five years. What stands out is how concentrated his shot attempts are now compared to previous seasons. Part of that comes from the growth in his own recognition and the change in position, but part of it also comes from Haliburton's control of the offense. Turner was being fed the ball in areas where he succeeds: in the paint, at the top of the arc, and in the right corner.

Turner, who can never be accused of being immature or lacking self-awareness, recognized how much easier life is playing with Tyrese Haliburton and attributes his decision to re-sign in large part to the point guard's presence on the roster.

Better Rebounding

Myles Turner was again one of the league's premier rim protectors, something he's been able to hang his hat on even during his lowest of slumps. But this year he deserves credit for his improved his rebounding, an area that's often been a source of criticism. He finished the year in the 72nd percentile of defensive rebounding percentage among bigs, up from the 53rd percentile last year and the 29th percentile two years ago.

What Lies Ahead?

First, a healthy offseason. One of his goals this year was to get to the summer without a major injury, which he achieved. In years past, his offseason has been cut short due to the need to rehab and he's looking forward to being able to get right into training, without having to worry about healing (or trades or free agency, for that matter).

I've often wondered what the back half of Turner's career will look like. Health has always been a problem and when big men fall off, then tend to fall off dramatically. However, the success of Brook Lopez and Al Horford late into their 30s has given me hope that Myles can age gracefully as well. He has the defensive IQ and the range on his jumpshot to be a useful player even when he can't move as fluidly as he does now.

Second, improving as a team. He believes that they have a lot to prove next year and they have the perfect opportunity to put Indy on the map with the All-Star game coming to town. He thinks they have the talent to be a playoff team but recognizes that they'll have to get better defensively. He sounded a lot like Carlisle and Pritchard when he said that growth on that end is simply about pride and he's challenging his teammates to get better individually.  

Third, we can expect to see him get more involved with his off-court activities, including hosting a basketball camp in Indy this summer.  

Let's all join Turner in some deep yoga breath work as we move on from a cathartic season. Check out his interview below.