Myles Turner

Lore & Background

Before Turner, the Pacers' identity in the post-George era was still being figured out. Then a lanky, long-armed Texan walked onto the court in his rookie season and made it clear: the paint belonged to him. His 2015-16 All-Rookie First Team season was modest by scoring standards but electric on the defensive end, and from that point the franchise built its defensive philosophy around his reach, timing, and sheer willingness to go to the glass. He was not the flashiest scorer, but he was the reason opposing guards started picking up their dribble a half-step earlier. The 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons are the ones etched into Pacers lore. Turner earned back-to-back All-Defensive First Team nods and two All-Star berths, and for a stretch it genuinely looked like Indiana could be a top-five defensive team in the league. The 2019 playoffs, where he matched up against some of the league's most physical bigs, cemented his status as a player who could handle the biggest nights. The Bankers Life crowd learned to lean forward, palms flat on their knees, waiting for the swat. Even as the roster turned over around him and the team's competitive window shifted, Turner remained the constant. He was the guy who kept the defense honest in a league that was moving away from traditional bigs. For a Pacers fan who grew up watching Roy Tarpley or Rik Smits guard the rim, Turner was the modern heir to that tradition—less about the highlight-reel dunk, more about the quiet, inevitable 'no' that echoed off the hardwood.

In Their Own Story

The arena is humming at half-time, but Turner isn't in the tunnel. He's at the free-throw line on the far end, running his fingers over the rim, feeling the pebbled texture the way a pianist checks a key before the concert. A young practice-squad guard shoots a layup from the left block. Turner doesn't even turn his head. The ball is in the air, arcing, and then—silence. A flat, meaty *thwack* against the backboard, the ball bouncing out to a waiting hand. The guard mouths something. Turner just shrugs, wipes his palms on his shorts, and walks back toward the bench. The crowd noise hasn't changed. That's the point. In Indiana, the block isn't the moment. The block is the *default.*

Reader's Guide

#33. 2015 to 2025. Nearly a full decade in the black-and-gold, and for most of it, the single most important defensive decision the Pacers made. Here's the one that still gets retold in Pacers group chats: 2019 playoffs, Milwaukee in the building, and Turner is the reason the Bucks' interior attack sputtered. He wasn't the stat-line star, but every time a big rolled for an easy putback, there was a long-armed shadow at the rim. The crowd at Gainbridge learned to hold their breath on those drives, and when the block came—clean, flat, no celebration, just a shrug and a reset—the roar was almost louder than a dunk. Signature moments that define him for this fanbase: two All-Defensive First Team seasons (2019, 2020) that made the Pacers' defense genuinely elite; two All-Star nods (2019, 2020) that proved he wasn't just a defensive specialist but a two-way force; and the sheer *volume* of blocks over nine seasons that made 'don't drive at #33' a genuine strategic instruction for every visiting coach. When the name comes up in a Pacers conversation, the usual line is: 'He made the paint feel smaller. And he did it for nine years.'

Did You Know?

• Turner was selected 11th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft, making him the highest pick the Pacers took in that draft class.
• He earned back-to-back All-Defensive First Team honors in 2019 and 2020, a rare distinction for a player in his early career.
• Before the NBA, Turner played college basketball at the University of Texas, where his long wingspan and defensive instincts were already noted by scouts.
• He was a member of the All-Rookie First Team in 2015-16, the season that established him as the Pacers' defensive cornerstone.