The best and worst two-man lineups featuring Myles Turner and what the Pacers can learn from them
Myles Turner is fresh off of his best-ever season. He put together all of his skills and was an excellent player on both ends of the court, and that re-established Turner as one of the better big men in the NBA.
His defense is elite, and his outside shooting talent is strong for a big man. On top of that, Turner played well alongside Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, and the team was at its best when both players were available to play.
Turner has developed significantly in recent seasons, especially since Rick Carslie took over as head coach. And he still has some room to grow. He could be even better next year as he builds chemistry with a fresh squad and adds decision making capabilities. As the Pacers push for the postseason, any improvement will be welcomed.
One way to help players grow is to put them in situations where success is easier. That's why evaluating what players pair well together is important, as it was for Bennedict Mathurin and Haliburton. They, and every player in the league, prove that complementary skill sets are important.
Because of Turner's defensive prowess, most lineups he is involved in have a floor of a decent-enough defense. That's why most of his best pairings are about offensive fit and spacing. But at the very top of the list of players who paired well with Turner this past season is a surprising one, and one that illustrates how important complementary skill sets can be.
The best two-man lineup involving Turner also featured Oshae Brissett. According to NBA.com, in 287 minutes with that duo on the court, the Pacers outscored opponents by 5.3 points per 100 possessions. That's an excellent figure.
Turner and Brissett have been teammates dating back to the 2020-21 season, and their chemistry is obvious. They are alert defenders who are rarely in the way of each other or their teammates on either end of the floor.
The biggest factor in the success of that pairing is defense. Brissett and Turner was Indiana's best frontcourt combination on defense when it came down to skill and size this past year, and the blue and gold had a defensive rating of 110.5 with both on the court, a great number. The offense was good, too, but not great. In these rare moments where the Pacers weren't playing small and had a defensive-focused frontcourt on the floor, they were effective. That's why the team wants to add a quality four man this offseason.
The trio behind Brissett when it comes to their partnership with Turner are all offensive weapons in Mathurin, Haliburton, and Buddy Hield. That is no surprise. Turner can shoot it well from deep (37.3%) and improved as a screen setter this past season, so other players who can take advantage of spacing or strong picks pair well with the 27-year old big man.
The Pacers had a true shooting percentage as a team of at least 58.6% in all of those pairings. They had little trouble creating efficient offense when Turner paired with any of those players, which is unsurprising. The consistency of that offense varied, though. Their turnover rate was higher when Turner and Mathurin were paired together, which held down the team's offense even though their defense was solid with that duo on the floor.
In the case of Hield and Haliburton, Indiana's offense was at a near elite level. But their defense was pedestrian. Groups with Mathurin and Turner need more playmaking and connectivity while Turner plus Hield/Haliburton lineups need more defense. They were all successful pairings, but those additional focuses can help the blue and gold next season.
On the other end of the spectrum for Turner are lineups that lack cohesion or firepower. For example, the worst duo involving Turner featured mid-season acquisition Jordan Nwora. While there is some small sample size theater going on (13 games, 116 minutes), Nwora's defensive abilities are not strong, and opponents scored 127.8 points per 100 possessions with the two on the floor. That must improve, and it likely will with more time. Nwora does at least have some size.
Two players who struggled to give Indiana much on offense this past season are also near the bottom of the list in Chris Duarte and Jalen Smith. The Smith-Turner pairing was the Pacers' starting frontcourt early in the season, but it became clear that Smith is better suited as a center. When the two were together, one of them was playing in an unnatural position and unable to provide their typical impact on either end of the floor. That is reflected by the team's atrocious offensive (108.5) and mediocre defensive (114.1) defensive rating when both players were out on the hardwood. In the modern NBA, playing two centers that lack speed together should be reserved for niche situations.
The Pacers offense rarely hummed with Duarte on the court this past season. An early season injury impacted his chances to develop with the new-look team, and his shot was off all season long. That cratered most lineups he was a part of, and that included sharing the floor with Turner. Indiana's offensive rating in those moments was 106.3. There is nothing about Duarte and Turner's styles that doesn't fit, they were an effective duo two seasons ago. Duarte just had a rough year.
If this exercise reveals anything, it's that Turner does well in strong defensive frontcourts as well as excellent offensive lineups. He alone is enough of a presence to boost any lineup's defense, so putting Turner next to a natural four man that can have an impact on both ends of the floor would do wonders for Indiana's record and capabilities next season.
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