Tag: Myles Turner

Myles Turner floated as potential Spurs offseason trade target

Could the San Antonio Spurs consider a trade for Myles Turner?

The San Antonio Spurs have a chance to improve this summer. Victor Wembanyama is already a top-notch NBA player, so surrounding him with more talent should be a top priority. Desmond Ordonez of Air Alamo suggested Indiana Pacers big man Myles Turner as a potential trade target for this offseason.

“Turner could cost San Antonio less than he would have two years ago,” wrote Ordonez. “Therefore, bringing on Turner would still leave the team money to spend elsewhere if they wanted to. But the main reason to add a player of Turner’s caliber is what he can bring to the team defensively.

“San Antonio was one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA this season. Wembanyama, of course, nearly captured the Defensive Player of the Year award, but, overall, San Antonio collectively scared nobody. Perhaps a Wembanyama-Turner frontcourt duo would improve that.”

Bringing in Turner would see San Antonio create a massive frontcourt.

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Game 1 of Knicks-Pacers ended in controversy with a questionable Myles Turner offensive foul

Was this a foul on Myles Turner?

The New York Knicks earned a 121-117 home playoff victory over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night, but not without some controversy.

Part of New York’s path to the win came with an offensive foul on Pacers star Myles Turner, who made a play on Donte DiVincenzo while trying to block him out and halted the Pacers momentum in an instant.

The call, of course, is controversial depending on how you see it, whether you think Turner made a clean basketball play to help his team or whether you think he made an illegal move on DiVincenzo that justified the foul.

Either way, this year’s Eastern Conference second round already has a big story in this foul, one that helped the Knicks get the 1-0 series advantage.

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Myles Turner on trade rumors: ‘Honestly, I still get PTSD from that’

Myles Turner and his teammates won the Skill Challenge on Saturday to the delight of the home crowd. Turner told HoopsHype he hadn’t practiced for the competition and that he was simply “going to go with the flow.” The nine-year veteran took time …

Myles Turner and his teammates won the Skill Challenge on Saturday to the delight of the home crowd. Turner told HoopsHype he hadn’t practiced for the competition and that he was simply “going to go with the flow.”

The nine-year veteran took time away from his busy schedule as an unofficial ambassador in Indianapolis to sit down and talk about the progression of his team, trade rumors, his partnership with STARRY, and more.

Projected starters for the Pacers after a big trade united Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton

This was a huge move for the Pacers!

The Indiana Pacers made a swing for the fences and acquired two-time All-Star forward Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors.

Although it is still unclear if Siakam will sign a contract extension with the Pacers or if he will test free agency this offseason, Indiana will instantly become one of the most interesting teams in the Eastern Conference once Tyrese Haliburton can return from his injury.

When this team is fully healthy, they have a fascinating starting lineup that could potentially make a run much like they did during the NBA’s In-Season Tournament.

Here is what they will likely have on the court when their ideal starting five is ready to play together:

Sixers’ Joel Embiid brings up Myles Turner’s old comments after win

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid brought up Myles Turner’s old comments after a win over the Indiana Pacers.

PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid rarely forgets anything. The big fella certainly remembers whenever he believes he has been slighted.

Indiana Pacers big man Myles Turner, who is one of the better defenders in the NBA, made a comment about defending Embiid and Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic over the summer. Turner mentioned he believes he can control Embiid more than Jokic and that he has a fighting chance of defending Philadelphia’s star one-on-one.

After the big fella scored 19 points in the first quarter on his way to 37 for the game in Sunday’s win, Embiid made sure he brought up the comments made by Turner.

“Just being aggressive,” Embiid said. “I always go back to some of the comments their big man made a year ago so I always try to take it personal against anybody, but I just tried to be aggressive and set the tone.”

Embiid’s efforts, combined with Tyrese Maxey’s phenomenal 50-point night, allowed the Sixers to build an early 19-point lead. However, the Pacers worked their way back into the game and they rallied to take a lead in the fourth quarter.

The Sixers, obviously, walked away with the win, but Embiid wants them to be better.

“We got up to a early lead, but I still think we could have done a better job,” he said. “Especially, defensively. Like I said, just wanna be aggressive, set the tone, and get us off to a good start.”

Embiid and the Sixers will face Turner and the Pacers again on Tuesday in the in-season tournament.

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Myles Turner: “North Carolina was one of the only schools that never recruited me.”

Former five-star recruit Myles Turner tells Theo Pinson that North Carolina was one of the only schools that never recruited him.

UNC is usually the front-runner for getting talent due to its rich history. However, sometimes too much talent can deter top recruits, and we are now learning that might have been the case with former five-star recruit Myles Turner.

In a recent episode of Tidal Leagues Run your Race podcast, former Tar Heel Theo Pinson spoke with Turner on his recruitment process and how it played out. During Turner’s high school days, the center was heavily sought after, and UNC fans wanted a piece. However, according to Turner, UNC was one of the only schools never to recruit him.

He did, however, receive a letter, but everything happening at UNC during that time deterred him. To make matters worse for UNC fans, he was a Duke guy, and if it was not for them landing Jahlil Okafor, then there might have been a chance that the Tar Heels saw him at least twice a year.

It worked out for Turner, who became a dominant juggernaut at Texas. However, I cannot help but think what if he was pursued to join the Tar Heels or if worse, he joined the dark blue side.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Myles Turner impressed by Jalen Green’s development in Houston

Myles Turner on Jalen Green: “Watching him develop into the player he is right now… I have to give him a shout out. It’s actually really impressive.” #Rockets

To Myles Turner, veteran center with the Indiana Pacers, social media often hurts the NBA because it leads to younger fans overhyping prospects with “cutesy handles.”

As Turner said in a recent podcast, many of these prospects enter with a sense of entitlement.

He does, however, see an exception with Jalen Green, who was drafted No. 2 by the Houston Rockets in the 2021 first round.

Now entering his third season, Green was Houston’s leading scorer at 22.1 points per game in 2022-23. Many around the team are hopeful Green enjoys a further breakthrough in 2023-24.

If that happens, it sounds like Turner wouldn’t be surprised. Here’s what the former University of Texas standout said on a newly released episode of the Tidal League podcast (via Dave Hardisty, ClutchFans):

The one kid who I will say who had a lot of that hype, and I’m actually really impressed with how he’s handling it, is Jalen Green. Jalen Green came (into the league) with a lot of that hype, bro, even before he got to the (G League) Ignite with that social media stuff.

Watching him develop into the player he is right now … I have to give him a shout out. It’s actually really impressive. That sh*t is hard.

For Green, it’s a strong personal and professional endorsement from one of the NBA’s better defensive bigs of this era.

Coincidentally, Green and the Rockets will open their 2023-24 preseason versus Turner and the Pacers on Tuesday, Oct. 10.

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Myles Turner on realizing LeBron James was for real

Myles Turner of the Pacers says he doubted whether LeBron James was as great as advertised until he actually played against the superstar.

There is a hot debate about where LeBron James ranks on the list of the greatest NBA players ever. Although most regard Michael Jordan as the greatest in league history, an increasing number of people believe the Los Angeles Lakers superstar is actually the greatest ever, or at least one of the three greatest players ever.

Many also believe James is clearly a better player than late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. However, there are those who cannot put James ahead of Bryant for whatever reason.

Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner was one of the latter. But he said when he actually played against James, his perspective changed (h/t Lakers Daily).

“I wasn’t a LeBron hater but I was like, ‘He Bron, he cool, he ain’t Kobe …’ until I actually played against him. One of the smartest (expletive) I have every played against bro … His influence on the game is crazy. His vision, people don’t talk about his vision enough bro. He doesn’t have to score to be effective, and that’s why he’s able to be in the league as old as he is today. He sees things before it happens.”

Turner also talked about a time when his team was running a play, only to have James call out every action it was about to carry out.

James, just as Bryant was, is an absolute student of the game, and he has been able to impart his knowledge of basketball, as well as his experience, to younger teammates to help season them and prepare them for success.

Projected starting lineup for the Pacers after signing Bruce Brown and Obi Toppin

Bruce Brown reportedly signed a two-year, $45 million deal with the Pacers.

Bruce Brown has reportedly agreed to a two-year, $45 million deal to sign with the Indiana Pacers, per ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski.

The second year reportedly has a team option, according to Washington Post reporter Ben Golliver.

Brown is a 6-foot-4, 26-year-old wing who played a pivotal role for the Nuggets en route to winning an NBA championship in 2022-23. Although he came off the bench during the postseason run for Denver, his presence on the court was invaluable.

Brown enjoyed the fifth-best on-court point differential among all players in the playoffs, via NBA.com. He will help provide defensive versatility for the Pacer, which is especially important because Indiana had the second-worst defensive rating in the Eastern Conference last season.

Here is what the rotation will likely look like for Indiana with Brown in the mix:

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Lakers have reportedly been linked to Myles Turner and Buddy Hield, among others

Could the Lakers make another attempt to trade for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield?

Months ago, when the Los Angeles Lakers were stuck with Russell Westbrook and didn’t know what to do with him, there was a stubborn rumor that they had an opportunity to trade him for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield of the Indiana Pacers.

But owner Jeanie Buss reportedly said no to that trade offer, and instead, Westbrook was dealt in February for D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley.

Now that the dust has settled on the immediate results of that trade, Los Angeles has reportedly been linked once again to Turner and Hield just ahead of the 2023 NBA draft. They have also been linked to a few other 3-and-D wings (h/t Lakers Daily).

Via The Athletic:

“Names around the league that have been linked to the Lakers in recent weeks include Indiana’s Myles Turner and Buddy Hield, Brooklyn’s Dorian Finney-Smith and Royce O’Neale, Toronto’s Gary Trent Jr. and Washington’s Kristaps Porzingis, according to multiple league sources not authorized to speak publicly.”

The Lakers need improved 3-point shooting and center depth, and Turner and Hield could fill both needs.

Turner, a 6-foot-11 center, is an excellent shot-blocker and rim protector, and he is also a dependable 3-point shooter who made 37.3% of his attempts from downtown this season. Hield, meanwhile, is one of the game’s premier outside shooters, both in terms of accuracy and volume.

The Lakers were reportedly very close to trading for Hield in the summer of 2021 before they pivoted and got Westbrook instead, presumably due to the influence of LeBron James.