“I stood tall throughout all this”: Myles Turner on Pacers tenure, connection with Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam, and more (Exclusive)
Myles Turner put on a show in his hometown Monday night, scoring a season-high 30 points and grabbing 11 rebounds as the Indiana Pacers defeated the Dallas Mavericks 134-127. Turner, who grew up in the HEB area (Hurst-Euless-Bedford) near Dallas, surpassed 8,000 career points in the win, showcasing his valuable combination of size, shooting and defensive presence.
Turner shot 10 of 17 from the field, including 5 of 8 from the 3-point range, and added a steal and a block. It was the third time in his career that he has recorded at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and five 3-pointers.
This standout performance further helped Turner’s impressive season averages of 17.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. His shooting has also been efficient, with 46.7% from the field and 36.8% from beyond the arc, a testament to his consistent impact on both ends of the court.
In his 10th NBA season, Turner credits his career-long consistency to his commitment both on and off the court. Since the start of his second NBA season, he's averaged 14.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in 516 games played, proving to be a valuable stretch five and rim protector every year.
“My consistency really comes from my commitment to my body and my career,” Turner told Sportskeeda.
Despite the Pacers' multiple roster pivots during his tenure, which led to Turner's frequent inclusion in trade rumors, Turner remains a positive leader. He's persevered to the point that at 576 games played, he's two appearances away from passing Herb Williams for the sixth most games played in the franchise's NBA history.
This patience translated to helping guide the team to its first Eastern Conference finals appearance since the Paul George era. Last season, he passed Jermaine O'Neal to become the team's all-time shot-blocking leader.
“I’ve battled through a lot, but it hasn’t broken me," Turner said. "I want to stay ready and be an example for the next generation."
Reflecting on his playoff experiences, Myles Turner came close to winning a playoff series a few times early in his career but broke through for the first time last season after 26 postseason games. Reaching such a stage has only motivated him to do what it takes to contribute to the team to return to that stage:
“The biggest thing for me was realizing how fun it is to play at that level. I’d never experienced anything like it, and now I’m hungry to get back to that stage. It’s big for me, and I know a lot of the guys feel the same way.”
The Pacers' connective presence
With Myles Turner's ability to pick-and-pop, roll to the rim, and post up smaller defenders, the Pacers benefit from spreading the floor or attacking the paint. Indiana's head coach, Rick Carlisle, praised Turner's growth as a rim roller alongside Tyrese Haliburton while describing his skill set as "hard to replace:"
"Myles is one of those rare bigs who can protect the rim and knock down threes. He’s become elite at rolling to the basket with Tyrese as the ball handler, and his outside shooting really opens up the floor for everyone else. He’s a guy that’d be hard to replace."
Turner’s chemistry with Haliburton was fully displayed throughout the game. The two often connected in pick-and-rolls that challenged Dallas’s defense. With Haliburton usually keeping defenses guessing, toggling through approaches, including screen rejections, and a general ability to attack the paint, Turner has formed an impressive connection that stresses defenses.
“It’s all about synergy, man,” Turner said. “This is our fourth season together, and I’ve gotten to know his tendencies. He’s great at getting downhill and creating opportunities, not just for me but for everyone. It’s like he has eyes in the back of his head.”
Haliburton, who finished with 25 points and a season-high 12 assists, praised Turner’s shooting ability as one of the keys to Indiana’s offense. The Mavericks were forced to account for Turner on the perimeter and were punished for giving him space and time to shoot.
“He’s one of the best shooting bigs to ever play this game, so he can really stretch things out for me in pick-and-roll situations,” Haliburton said. “It poses a different threat for Dallas, with two rim protectors who usually like to get into the paint. Having them in more of a trail position, making them have to come out and guard, really opens things up for us.”
Entering the NBA, Turner already had a reliable mid-range jumper and worked on extending his range in a continually modernizing league. He's further increased in perimeter shooting volume this season, taking 5.4 per game while converting at a 36.8% clip through seven games.
Confidence has played an important role, as have on-court reps. Whether playing pick-and-pop, spacing out, or trailing in transition, Myles Turner stays ready to get shots up:
"I think that's something I've always been able to do, but the same thing with confidence," Turner told Sportskeeda in July 2023. "Just going out there and doing it, as opposed to watching too much film to see why this shot is not going in."
Another element of Myles Turner's impact is his scoring ability in the post. He's grown to be very comfortable with this in his career, and with how much switching occurs in today's league, it's a helpful release valve for the Pacers to turn to as a counter.
"Reps, bro. Honestly, just reps. Just staying in the gym and working on a little particular stuff," Turner said. "I'm not just playing every day. I'm doing reps. That's been good."
The Pacers needed more firepower to compete in the Eastern Conference, so they traded for Pascal Siakam with the Toronto Raptors. Monday's game strongly demonstrated how Turner's connective skill set helps make the most of Siakam's talent.
Siakam contributed 23 points and Turner noted how Siakam’s presence has made his role easier. The threat Siakam poses enables Myles Turner to punish the defense for trying to survive with a size mismatch after switching since Siakam often has to be accounted for off the ball:
“Pascal takes a lot of attention off me because he spaces the floor and is tough to guard. It makes my life easier out there, for sure.”
Turner's open-mindedness and flexibility contribute to his fit with Siakam. Some current connectivity can be tied to his natural position playing the five. After Domantas Sabonis' emergence in 2019-20, Turner spent much time as a power forward until the Haliburton trade in February 2022.
While some elements can carry into his current impact, having to space the floor and be cognizant about spacing next to a traditional center requires a different approach than playing center — his natural position. He's rolling more than he's popping with space to make plays and a guard that delivers the ball accurately and timely.
Having these different options as a roll man while being a play finisher when not involved in the action as a cutter has created traditional chances to impact the offense.
"It's you just said it, man. It was my natural position pretty much all my life playing there, and things just happen naturally," Turner said in July 2023. "It's just like instinct instead of having to think. At the four, I was thinking way too much. At the five, it's just playing and reacting."
The Pacers' opponents respect the complete package Turner presents as a threat. As Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd explained, there tends to be an answer for Turner regardless of how the opposition approaches guarding Indiana — making it essential to account for him at all times:
“Myles is a center that can shoot the three, put the ball on the floor, and post up smaller defenders. He causes problems because he can shoot mid-range and score on the roll, including the half roll. His ability to score at three different levels at a high level means he has to be accounted for, and we’ve got to try to make it tough on him.”
The complementary nature of Turner's skill set is why Siakam was enticed to continue playing in Indiana for the long term. For a player who can attack downhill as effectively as Siakam, often using his size against smaller defenders and his speed against bigs, either helping or being made to pay for doing so due to Turner's spacing, makes this a great tandem.
Defensive mindset and rebounding
For a Pacers team that pushes the ball so often and plays with a high-powered offense, getting enough defensive stops can be all the difference. After leading the NBA in blocks in 2018-19 and 2020-21, Turner remained hungry and wanted to maximize his impact as an all-around defender:
"Man, I think for me, it's just an anchoring down, even more on defense. I think that blocking shots is one thing, but being a feared defender is different, and that's kind of one of the reputations I want to continue building for myself."
In his continued effort to get the most out of his game, Myles Turner's current focus is rebounding. Carlisle has recently stressed crashing the glass hard to pull down 10 rebounds per game as a goal. Turner's double-digit rebounding effort and defensive presence helped the Pacers control the paint and withstand Dallas’s offensive surges.
Turner’s interior presence remains central to Indiana’s identity. As the backbone of Indiana's defense, he emphasized pick-and-roll defense and team rebounding to set the tone:
“The most important thing for us is to stay consistent in our pick-and-roll defense and our rebounding. Rebounding isn’t just about skill—it’s a mentality.”
Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic, who led Dallas with 34 points and 15 assists, acknowledged Myles Turner’s impact on the game. Turner has averaged 18.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks against the Mavericks in 14 games. His scoring average has only climbed to 27.7 points in this matchup since last season.
“I think Turner killed us there,” Doncic said. “It looked like we couldn’t stop him. We should have done a better job. We know he wants to shoot. He’s home. I think he’s from here. So you know he wants to put up a show.”
Myles Turner's value
With Turner playing out the final season of a two-year, $40.9 million contract, his role as a central piece of Indiana’s game plan is more evident than ever. Monday’s performance in Dallas was a reminder of his impact on both ends of the court and his leadership in setting the Pacers’ tone.
The Pacers cannot give Turner a contract extension based on the current rules so that he will enter free agency next summer. However, his importance to Indiana is apparent, and he remains an integral element of his team.