Goodbye, trading market! The "data brush" that has been sold for 4 years is now going to help the team win the championship

Turner and the Pacers' Ten-Year Path to Redemption When the Indiana Pacers defeated the Thunder with a 9-point advantage at home in G3 in the 2025 NBA Finals and rewritten the big score to 2-1, the electronic screen of the Arena Dome was frozen in a shocking data - Miles Turner made 5 blocks in a single game, not only breaking his personal playoff career record, but also surpassed Jermaine O'Neal with 121 total playoff blocks, and was crowned the Pacers' history "King of Blocks". This insider, who was labeled as a "data brush" and had been up and down in trading rumors for four years, is writing his own counterattack epic with his silent dominance. The stealth pillar of the finals stage: From defensive blue-collar workers to tactical cores, Turner's performance in the 2024-25 playoffs has long surpassed the category of "role players". In addition to the basic data of 16.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game, 51.3% of the shooting percentage and 43.2% of the three-point shooting percentage constitute the perfect data model for the modern center. With a pick-and-roll cooperation with Halliburton, he is no longer a simple "cake eater", but a tactical hub that can support at high positions and make three-pointers outside the field. In the Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Cavaliers, he used his all-round performance of 23 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks in a single game to tear open the opponent's double tower defense line, and also assumed the heavy responsibility of defending Okoro and Struz from the five small lineups, limiting the opponent's shooting percentage to below 35%, and the defense coverage area reached 8.6 times per game.

Former NBA legend Jeff Teague bluntly stated in his commentary: "Turner is the winner of this series. When he hits a three-pointer in the top arc, the Cavaliers' joint defense system is like paper. " The data confirms this - when Turner is on the court, the Pacers' net-out of their opponents 8.7 points per 100 rounds, with a defensive efficiency as low as 106.3. When he guards the basket, his opponent's final shooting percentage is suppressed to below 40%. Although 3 of the offensive end of the G3 game scored only 9 points, 9 blocks were more than the Thunder team in total. This ability to "determine the game with defense" is the key to the Pacers being able to take the lead in the finals.

From "Future Star" to "Trade Abandoned Son": Four Years of Rumor Struggle and Misunderstanding

When joining the Pacers with the 11th pick in the first round in 2015, Turner's talent once allowed management to see hope for an inside revival. He started firmly in the second season and averaged 12.7 points, 7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game in the 2017-18 season. He is regarded as the new generation of penalty area pillar after O'Neal Jr. However, the arrival of Sabonis Jr. in 2017 completely changed his destiny. When the "two tower combination" exposed the fatal flaw of slow switching on the defensive end, the Pacers management pressed the chips on Sabonis, who had more passing ability. Turner's technical characteristics began to be examined by the magnifying glass: the offensive end was criticized for "poor screening quality and only knowing how to eat cake", and the defensive end was criticized for "sending the opponent to break through for blocking shots". Although he averaged more than 2.5 blocks per game for three consecutive seasons, he was labeled as a "data brush".

In 2020, the Pacers officially put Turner on the shelves, but they were greeted by the league. The closest deal occurred in 2021. When he and Hilde expressed their willingness to join the Lakers, the Purple and Gold Army unexpectedly chose Westbrook; the following year, the US media revealed that the Lakers were willing to exchange Westbrook for Turner, but refused to give a first-round pick, and the deal was missed again. The Warriors became interested in him in the 2023-24 season, and the Pacers failed to ask for Kumingga; the Knicks chose Anunobi in the pursuit. In four years, the transaction deadline has become Turner's "fixed torment", and even the joke of "Guess Turner's next home" has been circulating in the Inn Training Hall. The four-year, $72 million contract renewal in 2022 is not only a recognition, but more like a helpless price reduction by the management.

Transformation in silence: From "Space Rich" to "Time Specimen"

At the beginning of the 2024-25 season, the Pacers lost 11 of the first 20 games, and the outside world pointed the finger at the lineup, but ignored the chemical reaction that was taking place in Turner. After entering 2025, he suddenly started the "evolution mode": the three-point shooting percentage in January and February broke through 40% in a row, contributing 20 steals and 29 blocks in 19 games, and ranked first in the team with a plus-minus value of +23.8, even surpassing the core Halliburton's +14.9. This handsome man who was once questioned that "can't play team basketball" is interpreting the definition of a modern space-type center with his actions - not a standing pitcher, but a versatile player who can finish after pick-and-roll, bounce three-pointers, and even participate in support.

The series against the Cavaliers became his "Fight of Name". Facing the All-Star inside combination of Allen and Mobley, he averaged 16 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3 blocks per game, and his three-point shooting percentage soared to 56.2%. In the life-and-death battle between G4, he scored 20 points with 4 three-pointers. The Cavaliers were forced to let the double towers pounce on the outside, and the penalty area opened wide, so the Pacers completed an 18-point reversal. On the defensive end, he no longer pursues the visual effect of "chasing the big hat", but uses solid position selection and assisted defense to build a no-fly zone - when he is on the court, the Cavaliers' inside scoring rate dropped by 12.3%, and the pick-and-roll efficiency ranking fell from third in the league to 17th. The data website Basketball-Reference even gave an evaluation: "Turner's existence has improved the Pacers' defensive system by at least two levels. "

From "For Sale" to "Not Sale": Management's late recognition and the echo of the times

As the playoffs deepened, the Pacers' management's attitude changed 180 degrees. Reporter Jake Fischer revealed: The team has promised to renew the contract with Turner during the offseason, and even if they pay luxury taxes for it, they will be willing to pay. This player who was put on the shelves four times has now become an unshakable "not-selling product" in Yincheng.. The reason is that Turner's value has long surpassed the data: he is the axis of the defensive system - the playoff defense plus or negative value is third in the same position; he is also the fulcrum of offensive space - the combination of three-point shooting percentage and frame protection ability, perfectly adapting to the needs of the small ball era. After ten years of Pacers' career, Turner has walked through a rough road from "the victim of the twin tower experiment" to "the core of team basketball". When he surpassed the team's history records on the finals stage, the doubts about "data brushes" and the noise of trading rumors have turned into dust on the background board.

As teammate Halliburton said in a post-match interview: "Myers (Turner) taught us that the real strong people are not performing in the spotlight, but polishing themselves in doubt. "In this era of emphasising "that is, combat power" and "business value", Turner proves with ten years of silent persistence that the most precious transformations in the basketball world often occur in corners where no one pays attention, and those tenacity tempered in rumors will eventually become a decisive existence like a magic needle. When the finals whistle continued to blew, Turner stood in the center of Indianapolis' home court, his figure was no longer the vague symbol in the trading rumors, but a clear name on the Pacers' history monument - the man from "seller" to "the king of blocks" was writing his own footnotes of the times with defense and projection.