Indiana Pacers: 5 goals for Myles Turner in 2017-18
4. Improve individual defense
Myles Turner is an excellent help defender, finishing second in the NBA in blocked shots last season behind Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert.
Rim protection is a strong area for Turner, but he has a great deal of trouble defending stronger players around the basket. During his first two years in the league, he has been abused down low in a number of one-on-one matchups in the post.
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Myles Turner is a finesse player, but in order to further improve, he must continue to get stronger and learn how to use leverage to battle players in the paint. Turner appeared to make some progress from his rookie season to his sophomore campaign, but he still gets pushed around and is physically overmatched too often.
There is a delicate balance between gaining strength and maintaining agility; Turner doesn’t want to bulk up too much or he will risk losing some of the speed and quickness that helps him in many other areas against opposing teams.
Myles Turner will probably never be a “banger,” but he must get better at defending players near the rim if he is to continue his upward trajectory as an NBA prospect.