The Indiana Pacers have been without their star center Myles Turner for the last couple weeks. Turner was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his left foot he sustained on January 14th against the Phoenix Suns. On Thursday, the Pacers received positive news on Turner's progress.

Rick Carlisle announced that Turner had another scan and doctors are seeing what they were hoping to see thus far. The hope is that he will be able to return at some point soon. Carlisle added that Turner will begin ramping things up on the practice court soon.

The Pacers have had a really rough season thus far. They are 17-32, having lost three straight and seven of their last nine games.

With the playoffs seemingly out of reach, it's likely Indiana will be active prior to the NBA trade deadline. Turner is one of the key trade pieces the team has to offer. However, it was reported that Turner's injury put a damper on the hopes of a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers.

There was a lot of momentum between the Pacers and Blazers in building the trade framework. Portland's current big man, Jusuf Nurkic, is a free agent after this season. Turner could have slid right into that role for next season.

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Turner is considered one of the best rim protectors in the NBA. He leads the league in blocks this season, averaging 2.8 per game. He led the league last season, and two years prior to that as well.

Despite being a dominant force defensively around the rim, Turner is also a potent offensive weapon. He can shoot from the outside, with a career 35 percentage from downtown.