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Indiana Pacers: Myles Turner Named to NBA All-Rookie 2nd team

By Garrett Hagan

Mar 19, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) is guarded by Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Oklahoma City defeats Indiana 115-111. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 19, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) is guarded by Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Oklahoma City defeats Indiana 115-111. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Indiana Pacers rookie Myles Turner had a successful rookie season in 2015. His efforts throughout the season have earned him All-Rookie 2nd Team honors.

The Indiana Pacers drafted Myles Turner with the 10th-overall selection in the 2015 NBA Draft with hopes that his versatility and height would provide them with stability in the front-court for years to come.

At the time that Turner was drafted by Indiana, center Roy Hibbert‘s future with the Pacers seemed bleak. A former NBA All-Star, Hibbert was once touted as one of the best centers in the league — helping anchor the Pacers’ to a 56-26 record and No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference during the 2013-14 season before completely falling off of the radar and becoming more of a liability than a force.

With his foot on the pedal and refusing to look back, team president Larry Bird eventually traded Hibbert to the Los Angeles Lakers for a future 2nd-round draft pick shortly after he drafted Turner. It was time to go with the younger option and move on from Hibbert.

Turner had only played his freshmen year at Texas before declaring for the NBA Draft. Despite playing just a single year in collegiate hoops, Turner averaged 10.1 points, 6.5 rebound and 0.6 assists through 34 games for the Longhorns.

While Turners numbers during his freshmen year weren’t necessarily eye-popping, Turner played just roughly 10 minutes per-game.

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Turner’s NBA career may not have started the way in which he had previously envisioned. He injured his thumb at the start of the season, resulting in him missing 22 games for the Pacers. Once he returned however, he quickly began to play like the player that Bird saw when he selected the then-19-year-old center.

Turner appeared in 60 total games for the Pacers this past season, having started in 30 of them. Through those 60 games where he saw action, he averaged 10.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks on 49.8-percent shooting from the floor.

The thing about Turner is that he is only 20 years old and has not even reached his prime yet. This should excite the Pacers organization due to the fact that Turner’s ceiling is very high. His 86 blocks this past year have shown that he can be a dominant force at the rim, as well as a reliable scorer.

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Turner pairs along with Justise Winslow, D’Angelo Russell, Emmanuel Mudiay and Willie Cauley-Stein for the 2nd team honors.

If Turner continues to grow and expand his game, then the Pacers could be in very good hands for years to come.

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