Indiana Pacers: 5 takeaways from 2017-18 NBA season

3 of 6

Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images /

4. Myles Turner’s future in Indiana no longer guaranteed

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past four years, the NBA has gone through a bit of a downsizing period. Small-ball is the thing, and the question is no longer whether you can survive with two bigs on the floor, but whether your opponent can exploit a mismatch with only one.

Enter Myles Turner. It would probably be generous to say that Turner had an up-and-down season. Many expected this to be the year in which he took the leap to stardom. While he definitely moved forward, it was more of a stumble than any cognizable jump.

Looking at his per-36 minute averages, Turner was essentially the same player this year as he was in his first two. The advanced stats tell the same story.

More from Indiana Pacers

Numbers aside, you expected to see a month-long stretch at some point this year where you went, “Holy s—, he’s finally getting it!”

It never came.

This opens up a host of questions for Indiana that it probably never anticipated. How aggressive should the front office be in extension negotiations this summer, when Turner will surely demand the rookie max? If talks start out with the sides far apart, should they include the former Longhorn’s name in trade discussions?

Should they be doing this anyway, given the unlikelihood that both Turner and Sabonis will ever be able to play big minutes on the court at the same time (the pair had a -6.2 net rating in just 268 minutes of court time)?

It’s a good problem to have, no doubt. Still, someone who was seen as a core piece before the season now has to have his long-term role considered a bit of a question mark. It’s worth noting here that the Pacers’ starting lineup featuring Turner had a +2.1 net rating in 696 minutes. The same lineup featuring Sabonis though? A +8.5 in 366 minutes.

The spoils of success are not always what we anticipate. Speaking of which…

Home/Indiana Pacers