When the Milwaukee Bucks made the biggest gamble of the summer by waiving Damian Lillard to add Myles Turner, the potential was there for it to work well. The hope was that after taking a backseat for the Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee could offer Turner an opportunity to be their clear-cut second option, which could lead to the best year of his NBA career, numbers-wise.
That was wishful thinking. As the season has gone on, Turner's place in the rotation has deteriorated more and more. At this point, he's not healthy, but even when he is, the center isn't the guy Doc Rivers looks to when he needs a go-to guy most nights. For a player the Bucks risked their financial freedom for last summer, it's been a devastating outcome.
Turner has become lost in the mix for the Milwaukee Bucks
The big man's role truly started to decline in February. He missed time due to a calf strain, so it felt like he was being limited due to that, but Doc Rivers shut that idea down immediately. Instead, Rivers was simply more inclined to use players like Bobby Portis and Jericho Sims at the five while Milwaukee's $109 million man sat firmly on the bench.
The numbers paint an ugly picture. Since Feb. 1, Turner ranks last in average minutes among starting centers to appear in at least 20 games (23.8 per contest). Offensively, he hasn't been a factor, tallying the fourth-fewest shot attempts per contest among players under the same criteria (7.6). Even Brook Lopez, the player Milwaukee let go to clear room for Turner, is averaging over a shot attempt more.
When he is fortunate enough to get playing time, Turner's role is clear: stand on the perimeter and heave 3-pointers. He's averaging the fewest 2-point shot attempts of his career—by far—this year, taking away what was an essential part of his game in Indiana. Some of that is on Turner not being aggressive enough, but it's also on the Milwaukee Bucks' poor schemes.
Bucks' gamble has backfired, but there's time to bounce back
Things are ugly right now. So ugly that ESPN recently ranked Milwaukee's move to sign Turner as the worst move in the NBA since last offseason. While it's likely too late to change that notion this season, the Bucks didn't sign Turner for one year. They have him under contract for several more seasons and can look to get the most out of him beyond this year.
The elephant in the room is the coaching situation. Turner simply hasn't meshed well with Doc Rivers. Rivers wants to roll with Portis and Sims, who are fine players, without a doubt. However, when a team invests as much as they did in someone like Turner, the coach must find ways to get the best out of that player, and Rivers has failed to do so.
With a new coach, which could very well be the case next season, there is potential for Turner to find his stride and get back to being an impactful piece. He just turned 30, so he still has plenty of quality basketball left in the tank. He didn't land in Milwaukee and forget how to play the game. It may take a fresh start next season to unlock the best version of Myles Turner.
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