Age: 21
Years pro: 2
Status: The Pacers picked up the option for the third season of his rookie contract, and will have the option for a fourth.
Key stats: Started all 81 games in which he played. Averaged 14.5 points on 51 percent shooting, along with team-high averages of 7.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks.
He's a man. He's 21. He's not a kid. So, the expectations for Myles Turner are rising.
It's sometimes easy to forget his youth, given his physique and maturity, and therefore easier to criticize him for shortcomings. Bottom line is, though, he's become a really good player and still has plenty of upside. Larry Bird didn't say back in January he thinks Turner can become one of the greatest Pacers ever for no reason.
Turner's second NBA season didn't bring the sweet scent of a blooming flower the way his rookie season had, but he did what second-year players are supposed to do: show obvious improvement. His progress stalled at times, particularly late in the season, but he remains a vital part of the franchise's future.
Turner had to make the difficult adjustment of moving to center in a new system, after playing power forward alongside Ian Mahinmi as a rookie. That reduced his obligation to defend on the perimeter and allowed him to take opposing centers out to the perimeter, where he hit 35 percent of his 3-pointers. But, it emphasized some of his shortcomings, too.
PHOTO GALLERY: Myles Turner's 2016-17 Season »
Turner's best game of the season came in the first game. He scored 30 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked four shots in the season-opening overtime victory over Dallas, a smashing debut that was enticing for Pacers fans. Not that anyone expected him to average 30 and 16, but at least he looked ready to take a major step forward.
Those point and rebound totals turned out to be season-highs, however. Coach Nate McMillan's decision to yank back the reigns of the offense to enhance his team's defense limited Turner's opportunities somewhat, as did Paul George's late-season surge. Still, Turner's consistency became an issue as the season wore on.
It no doubt wore on him, too. Surely any big man who doesn't reach the legal drinking age until late in the season will tell you, those nightly battles against older (and stronger) opponents get old after a while. Perhaps, then, Turner can be forgiven for fading toward the end of the season. He failed to score in double figures in 11 of 17 games through a stretch in March and early April. He bounced back to score 18 points in each of the final two regular season games, but then struggled in the playoffs.
He averaged 7.7 points over the first three games, hitting just 32 percent of his field goal attempts and missing all four 3-point shots. He seemed to panic when given the ball on a crucial possession late in Game 1, and had it stripped by Kyrie Irving. He bounced back in Game 4 with 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting and nine rebounds to provide a solid bookend to a season that had begun in such spectacular fashion.
Turner's primary assignment over the summer should be to develop post-up skills. It's great that he can take opposing big men away from the basket and hit the occasional 3-pointer and open up passing lanes, but it's not so great that he can't score over smaller defenders around the basket. The basketball often appeared to be a foreign object in his hands when he caught it in the low post, and he usually wound up tossing up an awkward shot or passing it back out to the perimeter as if it was burning his hands.
Developing those skills didn't seem to be a priority during the season. He had one a one-man Big Man Clinic in teammate Al Jefferson to learn from, but they rarely worked together. Former Pacers All-Star Jermaine O'Neal, perhaps the most adept post-up scorer in franchise history, has offered to work with him this summer, and Turner expressed interest in doing that.
If Turner can become half as good as the ambidextrous O'Neal was around the basket, he could be an All-Star someday. If he can become as good, he might fulfill Bird's ambition for him. A post-up game, combined with his size, sophistication and face-the-basket shooting skill would make for a lethal combination. He'll need to add strength, but that will come as he gets older and goes through more offseason training. His work ethic to this point has been unquestioned.
The Pacers have never had such a productive 20/21-year-old as Turner. Al Harrington was in his third NBA season when he turned 21, and averaged 7.5 points while playing about half of the games off the bench. Jonathan Bender also was in his third season at that age and averaged 7.4 points while playing mostly off the bench. George McGinnis, who will be inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame later this year, had already turned 21 when he began his rookie season, and averaged 16.9 points while starting 46 of 73 games.
Time isn't standing still for Turner, but it still stands firmly on his side.
Have a question for Mark? Want it to be on Pacers.com? Email him at askmontieth@gmail.com and you could be featured in his next mailbag.
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Indiana Pacers. All opinions expressed by Mark Montieth are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Indiana Pacers, their partners, or sponsors.