Indiana Pacers: 2017-18 player grades for Myles Turner

Weaknesses

Ah yes…about those injuries…

Staying on the floor hasn’t exactly been a strong suit for Turner since he entered the league. Remember, this was a player who fell to 11th in the draft partially due to concerns about his back. While that hasn’t hampered him during his time as a Pacer thus far, it remains a long-term concern. Then there’s everything else.

This season alone, Myles Turner missed time due to a concussion and both elbow and ankle injuries. He also suffered a concussion before his second year, and a thumb fracture caused him to miss 21 games as a rookie. All in all, 40 games missed in three years isn’t the end of the world, but he hasn’t been a picture of stability either.

When he has been on the court, the on/off numbers are all trending in the right direction for Turner, but that’s partially because he’s had the benefit of playing so much time with newly minted superstar Victor Oladipo. Lineups with the two were 5.8 points per 100 possessions better than their opponents, which is pretty darn good.

When Oladipo played with his fellow former Thunder teammate Domantas Sabonis, however, that number jumped to 10.4. In the 690 non-garbage time possessions Turner played without Dipo, the Pacers had a -8.3 net rating. (In fairness, lineups with Sabonis and no Victor were an equally desultory -9.5. The lesson, as always: Victor Oladipo is really freaking good).

One reason to explain these stats is that Turner isn’t as efficient as you’d ideally like a big man to be. Out of 29 centers to average at least eight field goal attempts per game this year, Turner’s 56.7 true shooting percentage ranked 18th. That’s not bad, but also isn’t bending any defenses like some of the game’s elite bigs, many of whom also have far higher usage rates.