Indiana Pacers lose key element with Myles Turner injury

The Indiana Pacers lost a key element to their team on Wednesday night when Myles Turner left the game in the first quarter with an ankle injury.

Myles Turner has solidified a name for himself in the NBA as the best rim protector in the league, as the Indiana Pacers big man is the most dominant shot blocker in the league. The Pacers are hoping for a speedy and healthy recovery.

It appeared Turner may have slipped on the court or lost his footing when pivoting for a pick-and roll. Turner fell to the floor and immediately grabbed his right ankle with one hand, and covered his face with the other. He was then helped into the locker room from team officials. It was later confirmed that Turner sprained his ankle.

The Indiana Pacers are still unsure of how long Turner will likely miss, right now he is on a week-to-week evaluation. Through the team’s first four games of the season, Turner is averaging 14.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.

Mostly all of the Pacers production is coming from their starting-five. If Turner is likely to miss significant time with this ankle injury, the Pacers are going to need another source of offensive points and defensive power.

When looking at the roster, it seems like Domantas Sabonis would be the most likely to play the 5-spot in the absence of Turner. Sabonis is leading the Pacers with 22.8 points and 10 rebounds per game.

Although the Pacers did draft Goga Bitadze in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft, it seems like the team is still transitioning him into a more defined NBA player. Bitadaze has played in two games to start this season; scoring one point per game. With Turner out, the Pacers may have to use Bitadze’s 6’11” frame as a rim protector at times.

In three out of four games this season, the Pacers have lost by a margin of only 10 points. If the Pacers had a more reliable bench, then the team could keep these games more in arm’s reach of a comeback. The team currently doesn’t have a player on their bench who is averaging over 10 points per contest and that’s what is holding this team back from finishing games.

With Turner’s injury being on a bit of an unknown timetable, the Pacers are going to need solid production from every player on the team. Turner’s size, strength, and experience are what set him apart from others. What Turner brings to his team can’t be replaced and will be noticed sooner than later.