Indiana Pacers big man Myles Turner is one of the top young bigs in the league, and Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle thinks he represents the future of the NBA up front:
“He's the future of the 5-position in the NBA,” said Carlisle, according to Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. “A guy that can roll and finish above the rim. Half-roll and make plays. He can shoot mid range and he can shoot long range. And he can drive the ball. He's got the whole skill-set and he's still very young.”
On the year, Turner is averaging 12.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and a league-leading 2.8 blocks over 28 minutes per game while shooting 50.9 percent from the floor, 38.7 percent from three-point range and 69.9 percent from the free-throw line.
While Turner hasn't progressed much as a scorer, his improvement as a rim protector has been vital to the Pacers' top-flight defense this season, and his ability to space the floor can really send opposing defenses scrambling.
The 22-year-old, who played his collegiate basketball at the University of Texas, was originally selected by Indiana in the first round (11th pick overall) of the 2015 NBA Draft.
He had an impressive rookie campaign, registering 10.3 points, 5.5 boards and 1.4 blocks across 22.8 minutes a night while making 49.8 percent of his field-goal attempts, 21.4 percent of his long-distance tries and 72.7 percent of his foul shots.
Turner then had a breakout year of sorts in his second season, recording 14.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 blocks through 31.4 minutes per game, connecting on 51.1 percent of his shots, 34.8 percent of his treys and 80.9 percent of his free throws.
However, since then, his offensive production has stagnated.
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