Indiana Pacers Center Myles Turner has joined the Podcast Club 520which is hosted by former Pacers guard Jeff Teague, and discussed several parts of his tenure with the Pacers as well as the pinnacle that is the 2024-25 season.
Teague and Turner were teammates for a year and the two had productive chemistry on the field. Teague made 188 assists to the big man that season, more than any other individual, including star winger Paul George.
“We started practicing, playing basketball, and I was like, ‘This son of a bitch can do anything!’ And I didn’t know, like, ‘Holy crap, can he dribble? Can he shoot? Can he rebound? What the hell? He’s the best player on the team!’” Teague recalled watching Turner play before that campaign, which was Turner’s second in the NBA. The point guard recalled an early conversation about pick-and-rolls and forming an early connection. “Our chemistry just clicked right away … that’s why when I see you guys play now, the way you play spread out, I’m like, ‘Holy crap, if (head coach) Nate [McMillan] I would have just let him play like that.
Turner got his start with the blue and gold back then. He loves Indianapolis today and considers it a big part of his life, but he was only in his second season when he played with Teague. The former Pacers guard still lives in Indianapolis, and Turner remembers his first impressions of the city.
“I fell in love with it right away… I didn’t need to go anywhere else,” he said. “I needed a slow-paced city to grow up in… it was the perfect situation for me.”
When the two were playing together, Indiana had a net rating of +3.2. In situations where one or more of the two players were on the court, the Pacers team had a negative net rating. They made each other better, and the blue and gold needed that duo to function.
Today, Turner plays unfettered in a wide-open system. He’s in the perfect role on a team that can make him look great, and he loves that freedom. “I’ve been fighting against it my whole career. I finally started to have more confidence in myself and my game,” Turner said. “Over 10 years, I think if I had that confidence a little bit earlier, the trajectory of my career would have been different. But God doesn’t make mistakes.”
Last season, with more space and responsibility, Turner averaged 17.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Per minute, it was the best season of his career in terms of points scored and rebounds, and he also received votes for the All-Defensive Team. The Texas product did that in 77 games while staying healthy. Overall, it was the best season of his career.
“It was unbelievable … but after the past few seasons, all I asked for was a guard who could get me the ball, and I wanted to play the five. The Pacers did that, and I got to showcase all my talent. That season was special,” Turner said. Those elements came together to make it a memorable campaign for Turner, and it helped that Indiana continued to win and beat some of the best teams in the league. “The playoffs, I was so used to just coming home. Four or five months off. But it was a different aura around town. It was a different energy.” [We] “We were locked in,” Turner said.
Indiana made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. It was the first time the franchise had made it out of the first round of the playoffs since 2014-15, and they had a unique run. It was the first time Turner had made it out of the first round in his career.
The nine-year professional player averaged 17.0 points and 6.6 rebounds per game thanks to good efficiency during the playoffs. He was sensational against the Milwaukee Bucks in Games 3 and 4, which marked the turning point of the series. Indiana protected its home court and earned a victory in the first round.
“This Milwaukee season has been fun because of all the crap that’s happened during the season,” Turner said. Between the season tournament and the game ball controversy, there was a lot of friction between the Bucks and Pacers. Turner said history was created during those battles. “It made for a really great series,” the big man added. Teague was impressed with the Pacers’ performance in that series, but also praised Milwaukee forward Khris Middleton for the way he played in the best-of-seven series.
The Pacers then defeated the New York Knicks in the second round, with Turner scoring 21 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the series-changing Game 3. He helped Indiana avoid falling 0–3 in the series, and they beat the Knicks in seven games.
Game 7 was a standout, with Indiana winning away at Madison Square Garden. They were on fire all night and won by 21 points (Turner hit 7 of 11 shots).
“It was special to me, man,” Turner said of the final game of that series. “My dad, he’s from New York. He’s from Queens … for him to be able to be there and witness it with all his childhood friends. The whole ‘I told you so. I told you my son was like this.’ I was just happy for him … It was a good moment.”
The full podcast features more details about Turner’s career, his teammatesand other topics. You can find it here.
