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Indiana Pacers: Myles Turner’s 2016 Player Preview

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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The Indiana Pacers‘ 2016 season doesn’t begin for quite some time. So, there will not be much news about the team until then. As a result, it is time to preview the Pacers’ players who will play key roles in 2016. It is Myles Turner‘s turn today.

The Indiana Pacers drafted big-man Myles Turner out of Texas with the 11th selection in the 2015 NBA Draft. With a declining Roy Hibbert whom was bound to be traded (as he later would be) after a lackluster 2014 campaign, the Pacers needed to find his immediate replacement.

As a one-and-done freshman with the Longhorns, Turner averaged 10.1 points, 2.6 blocks and 6.5 rebounds through 34 games. While his numbers may not have popped out compared to some of his draft-day peers, it is worth noting that Turner played just 22.2 minutes-per-game — equivalent to one half in collegiate basketball.

CBS Sports gave the Pacers the grade of a D for the drafting of Turner. Here’s what one of the experts had to say about the reasoning for the grade:

"With the No. 11 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, the Pacers select Texas center Myles Turner.In a pretty surprising move, Myles Turner is going to Indiana at No. 11. The Pacers have to hope this turns out better than the last time they acquired a Turner.He’s going to take some time, and this team doesn’t necessarily have it. It looks like president Larry Bird is going to move Roy Hibbert, but Turner doesn’t seem close to ready to step in right away. With guys like Cameron Payne, Sam Dekker and Trey Lyles on the board, it feels like Indiana just took the best center available because of the Hibbert situation."

Flash forward to now, and Turner is appearing to look like one of the biggest steals of that draft class. In his rookie season with the Pacers, he averaged 10.3 points and 5.5 rebounds through 60 games — having missed a large chunk of his rookie campaign with a thumb injury.

2016 Expectations

At the ripe age of 20 years-old, Turner has a very high ceiling that can only go up. Expect his averages to increase immensely in 2016.

With the team’s recent acquisition of veteran center Al Jefferson via free agency, the young Turner’s game could become significantly better than what it already is with Jefferson there to help him out.

It’s always difficult to predict how precisely a player will perform in a given season, but expect turner to average double-digit points at the very least, as well as anywhere from seven-to-nine rebounds-per-game. If fully healthy in 2016, Turner can prove to be an extremely reliable asset to a Pacers team who could rank amongst some of the Eastern Conference’s best this coming season.

Next: Indiana Pacers: Jeff Teague's 2016 Player Preview

Team President Larry Bird hit a home-run with the selection of Turner, and Pacers fans everywhere should be excited at the fact that Turner’s game can only go up from where it’s currently at.

Look for the Pacers to be a formidable team in 2016, with the 20-year-old big-man playing a key role in the success of the team.

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