Indiana Pacers’ Myles Turner: How High Is His Ceiling?

Second-year center Myles Turner has been a revelation for the Indiana Pacers, but is he capable of becoming a dominant, perennial All-Star?

When Larry Bird decided to draft University of Texas center Myles Turner with the 11th pick of the 2015 NBA Draft, the choice was not met with much enthusiasm by those who follow the Indiana Pacers.

Turner was only 19 years old at the time, and much was made of his “unusual running gait” that some pundits expected to cause him problems at the NBA level.

However, instead of getting a long-term project with a physical abnormality, the Pacers got a player who has shined since the first day he stepped on the practice floor at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Fans and media quickly embraced Myles Turner, and expectations for the young big man took a 180-degree turn.

The standards that observers now have for Turner have gotten a bit out of hand — fans are excitedly talking about his future greatness, and the media has followed suit with their praise and lofty expectations for the 6-foot-11 center.

Larry Bird further fanned the flame recently when he made a very bold statement about Myles Turner’s future in Indiana, as reported by the Indianapolis Star.

"“He works hard. He wants to be great. He’s going to be great. To me, I think he’s got a chance to be one of the best players or maybe the best player in the franchise’s history.”"

Others around the league have made similar statements regarding Turner’s potential, including Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers. After a game against the Pacers earlier this season, Rivers said that he thinks Myles Turner will become a superstar in the NBA, and it will happen soon.

Myles Turner is a terrific young player who is likely to continue his improvement in the coming years, but are the expectations being placed on him fair, or even achievable? Let’s analyze Turner’s game in an effort to answer that question.

Strengths

Myles Turner is a very good spot-up outside shooter, and in his second year, he has added three-point range to his arsenal.

Turner is an outstanding help defender and shot-blocker, averaging 2.1 blocks per game, which places him third in the NBA in that category.

His passing ability has improved markedly this season, as he has nearly doubled his assist average per contest. Turner is beginning to make plays for teammates on a regular basis, adding to his overall value.

Free throw shooting can be a problem for some bigs, but not for Myles Turner — he is shooting 80.1 percent from the line in 2016-17.

Turner is very athletic, mobile, and runs the floor very well, despite the pre-draft criticism of his running gait. Due to his mobility, Turner is a good pick-and-roll defender.

In terms of intangibles, Myles Turner has them in spades. He has a tremendous attitude, and by all accounts, works exceptionally hard on his body and his skills. He is a team player, but also has the desire to be as good as he possibly can individually.

Weaknesses

Turner has very little offensive post game at this point in his career, as he relies almost exclusively on his turnaround jumper when he has the ball down low.

He appears uncomfortable any time he has the ball in the paint, and he will generally look to pass or fire a quick jump shot in these situations — he lacks any sort of power game around the basket.

Myles Turner rarely tries to drive, and when he does, the results are often not positive. He needs to improve his ball handling in traffic and gain more confidence in that area.

Turner lacks physical strength. Due to this, he is not a good one-on-one post defender, and often gets pushed around when trying to post up himself or attempting to block out for rebounds.

At 6-foot-11 and 243 pounds, Myles Turner is a below-average rebounder for his size and position, although he is making some strides in that area as he gains more NBA experience.

The Verdict

Myles Turner is undoubtedly a tremendous young talent, and the Indiana Pacers got a steal when they drafted him at No. 11 two years ago. He has everything you want in a young prospect: natural ability, athleticism and a very strong work ethic.

In terms of his future potential as a franchise player/superstar, Pacers Nation should be cautiously optimistic. With further physical development and skill work, Turner’s ceiling could be very high — and his positive attitude and strong desire give him a chance to take his success that far.

However, the reality is that Turner has a very long way to go before he could be considered a top-tier star. Turner projects as someone who will be a very good complementary player on a quality team, with an outside chance of attaining true stardom.

Myles Turner has been a tremendous find for the Indiana Pacers, and he should be appreciated for what he’s done up to this point in his brief NBA career.

Next: 10 Matchups We Want To See In The 2017 NBA Playoffs

Future NBA superstar? Best Pacers player of all time? Perhaps not, but if he ends up being an important and productive sidekick on a winning team, no one should be disappointed in that.