For Indiana Pacers forward Myles Turner, there was a specific moment in his rookie season that holds more importance than the others.
Turner found himself responsible for defending the lane against the Cleveland Cavaliers during a game in Indiana on February 1st, 2016.
Turner stood tall against a charging LeBron James, who attempted one of his signature throw-downs over the youngster. As James found his way past the rest of the defense, Turner slid across to meet the superstar at the rim.
While talking with The Source, Turner feels as though the block was a huge moment for his career:
“It was a huge turning point in my career,” Turner says now of the block. “I actually closed my eyes and if you look at the video, you see my eyes were closed. I knew I was gonna be on SportsCenter one way or the other. I didn’t realize the effect it had on me until it blew up on social media. Looking at it, it was really a defining moment.”
The moment itself was huge for Turner, but so was the game. He recorded his first double-double that night and made mistakes that cost his team the game.
Myles went on to have an impressive season for the Pacers, and he feels as though he can build on that in the forthcoming years:
“My expectations are high,” Turner said. “I had a decent season last year. I want to build upon it and go into a leadership role. There’s a lot of vets on this team and I’m an aspiring vet myself. I’ll take advice from these guys. I want to work on my leadership.”
Pacers fans will hope that the positive mind-set and momentum pay off for Turner as he heads into his second year in the league.
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