Pacers Summer League Review, News and Notes

Dec 2, 2014; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns forward

(center) shoots a free throw against the Texas-Arlington Mavericks during the second half at the Frank Erwin Special Events Center. Texas beat Texas-Arlington 63-53. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports

Myles Turner Hosted a Week-Long Block Party

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Many pundits and draft analysts were not happy with the Pacers selecting Myles Turner 11th overall. Instead, those same experts wanted the Pacers to pick Indiana high school standout Trey Lyles or University of Kentucky shooting guard Devin Booker. For further analysis on the Pacers selection of Turner check out our Pacers Draft Grades article.

All of those doubts were put to rest once the NBA Orlando Summer League began.

According to NBA.com’s official Orlando Summer League stats, Turner finished in the top-five in scoring and rebounds per game – 18.7 points and 8.3 rebounds – finishing 3rd and 4th respectively. Turner averaged over 60% shooting on 23 of 38 from the field. While his rebounding and shooting were impressive it was the defense that caught everyone’s attention.

Simply put, Myles Turner put on a clinic as a rim protector in the three games he played. Turner led the league with 4.3 blocks per game. Coming in a distant second was Keith Benson for with 2.4 blocks per game Orlando White. One of Turner’s most impressive blocks can be seen below (at 0:49) in the highlights from their game against the Pistons: