The Milwaukee Bucks surprised NBA fans this offseason by waiving and stretching future Hall of Fame point guard Damian Lillard. The move opened up the team’s financial situation enough to bring in center/forward Myles Turner from the Indiana Pacers, a move that received mixed reviews by basketball pundits at the time.
But looking at Turner’s numbers through the first 10-plus games of the season have some (particularly some salty Pacers’ fans) questioning if bringing him in was the right fit for the Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Bucks. Looking at his stats, there’s at least some reason to pause: he’s averaging just 11.6 points per game so far, which is four points off his average across 72 games last year in Indianapolis.
But the Bucks would not be wise to panic about their major acquisition. And according to head coach Doc Rivers, all signs point to Milwaukee feeling very happy about what Turner is bringing to the team.
Myles Turner has time to turn into Bucks’ second scorer
It’s important to remember we’re just 11 games in as of Nov. 11. Turner’s 11.6 scoring average, while not quite the figure he’s put up the last three seasons, isn’t too far off his career scoring total of 14. With 71 games remaining in this NBA season, Turner could raise that figure as he gets accustomed to Milwaukee’s offense and young roster.
And Rivers admitted that his staff is still figuring out how best to unlock Turner’s potential in the system. Following a home win against the Chicago Bulls earlier this month, Turner was spectacular. He scored 23 points on 8-14 shooting, including 5-8 from distance. He also hauled in eight rebounds and finished with four steals and a block.
“I think we kind of screwed him up,” Rivers said after that contest. He said to start the season, the coaching staff was asking Turner to “pop more” off screens. The suggestion may have, unintentionally, forced Turner to play against his instinct.
Rivers continued, “This morning [before the Bulls game], we said, ‘Just do what you feel. Roll, pop, we’ll figure it out. Just do you.”
With plenty of time and practice, it would not be a stretch to imagine Turner having more games like he did against Chicago, especially if Antetokounmpo continues his current MVP-caliber pace (33.4 PPG, 11.9 RPG, 6.2 APG).
Turners brings more to Milwaukee than just scoring
Since his 23-point showing, Turner scored closer to his career average in the next two contests. He pitched in 13 (6-11 shooting, 1-3 from three) in a home loss to the Houston Rockets. The next day, he put up 14 in Dallas (3-12 shooting, 1-7 from three) in a win against the Mavericks. He pulled in six and seven rebounds, respectively, in the back-to-back and also added three steals against the Rockets.
Before the Houston game, Rivers noted his value extends much deeper than his ability to score in bunches.
“He just does everything,” Rivers said. “The other night, he made shots, and he’s going to make more shots.”
Milwaukee’s coach noted point blank, an off shooting-night from Turner is not a high stressor. “He hadn’t shot the ball great [throughout the season], but he will. I’m not concerned by that.”
Instead, Rivers and staff have been figuring out how to leverage Turner’s high basketball IQ and ability to set up other players on the team.
“Defensively, he’s been incredible,” Rivers added. “He’s also been the most unselfish player on our team. Shooters don’t typically dive out of the way to give another shooter a shot. He does it all the time. It’s one of the reasons our spacing has been so good, because he’s so intelligent.”
So even though Turner’s statistical production hasn’t screamed “blockbuster signing” thus far, there’s plenty of season left and reason to believe the Bucks can make the most of the multi-faceted big man.
