The Los Angeles Lakers have spent months resisting the allure of Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner. They’ve leaked interest in every star from Kyrie Irving to Bradley Beal since then, but despite a months-long standing offer from Indiana, they have refused to surrender two unprotected first-round picks to land Turner and Buddy Hield. Every report in the interim has suggested that their preference is to wait for a star, but the irony here is, through roughly a month of basketball, Turner is actually playing like one.
After years of sharing the center position in Indiana with Domantas Sabonis, Turner has thrived with it all to himself. He’d never averaged 15 points per game in his first seven seasons as a Pacer. He’s up to a career-best 17.9 thus far this season. His 8.7 rebounds per game also represent a career-high, and excluding Jaren Jackson Jr., who has played just a single game, Turner’s 3.1 blocks per game are leading the NBA. To top it all off, his true shooting percentage of 65.6 is also the best of his career. You could credibly argue that Turner is having his best scoring, defending and rebounding season all at once.
These are all traits that would serve the Lakers well. They are the worst shooting team in the NBA, and only Max Christie and Matt Ryan are shooting better than Turner’s 37 percent from deep. They rank 26th in rebounding rate, suggesting a sore need for another big man, and after starting the season hot on defense, they’ve allowed 116.3 points per 100 possessions in their last eight games, which ranks 28th in the NBA in that time period. He may not have an All-Star selection under his belt, but Turner theoretically fits exactly what the Lakers need. He knows it. He essentially pitched himself to Los Angeles on “The Woj Pod” recently.
“If I’m the Lakers, I take a very hard look at this with the position that you are in, and I know I can provide to a team my leadership, my shot blocking, my 3-point ability and just my ability to make plays out there on the floor,” Turner said. “I would take a very long look at…
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