After a strong second season, Myles Turner is struggling mightily against the Cavaliers. He might be the difference between a four-game sweep or an extended series.
The Indiana Pacers have gotten strong performances from a lot of different places. Paul George looks like a first-team All-NBA player right now. Lance Stephenson has turned back the clock and nearly rejuvenated the entire franchise. Even Jeff Teague is doing his thing on offense, just don’t ask him to do too much on defense. Unfortunately, second-year big man Myles Turner is struggling mightily.
The Pacers are down 2-0 to the Cleveland Cavaliers. As they head back to Indianapolis for a must-win game, it’s important for Turner to get back on track. He looks nothing like the slowly improving and versatility big man of this past season. Simply put, all of his regular season numbers are down in these two playoff games.
Shockingly, Turner’s offense has cratered. Being matched up with the physical and active Tristan Thompson seems to really have perturbed Turner. His scoring average is down from 14.5 points per game to a lowly 8.5 in the playoffs. Worse, he’s shooting 8-for-22 (36.4 percent) from the field. Turner is finding a lot of difficulty in scoring in the paint, even though the Pacers are scoring more in the paint through the series.
What’s even more worrisome are the defense and rebounding, Thompson’s offense hasn’t been better than Turner’s, but he’s veteran enough to know how to impact the game in other areas. Thompson’s hit double-figure rebounds in both games. Meanwhile, Turner’s averaging 6.5 rebounds, yet another decrease from his regular season.
Turner has become a versatile defender and should be one of the best at his position in a few years. Still, against the Cavs, he hasn’t looked as solid. His block numbers are down. He had major foul trouble in the first game. And, unfortunately for him, his position isn’t one where he’s truly going to affect a team led by LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.
The hope is that Turner could have a vintage Roy Hibbert performance of sorts, but he just doesn’t have that immense size and playoff experience to really deter someone like James at the rim. That 2013 Eastern Conference Finals nearly turned because of Hibbert’s defensive abilities, yet it seems like Turner won’t be able to have that impact this year.
That isn’t to say that the series is over and it’s all Turner’s fault. All the Cavs have done so far is do what they’re supposed to: win two home games. It’s up to the Pacers to do the same. For the most part, they’ve been up to the task. They could’ve easily stolen Game 1 and were close throughout most of Game 2. Even in a 2-0 hole, this series is anything but over.
Turner should play better in Indiana. Like most young players, there was a noticeable improvement in his game at home vs. on the road. Turner averaged more points, more rebounds and more blocks within the confines of Bankers Life Fieldhouse. With a rocking crowd firing the team up, don’t be surprised if Turner begins to look more like himself.
Next: 2017 NBA Playoffs Roundup, Day 5
If Turner can relocate his regular-season form—or even improve upon it—this series could last a good bit longer. Turner’s a different kind of big man than Hibbert, but he’s long and athletic. It’s time for Myles Turner to break out if the Pacers really want to turn some heads this postseason.