Myles Turner has spent the better part of his 10-year NBA career falling just short of the All-Star line. A prolific shot-blocker who has helped popularize the 3-and-D big man mold, the new Milwaukee Bucks center has checked almost every box an All-Star is tasked with.
What the Bucks can provide Turner with in 2025-26, however, is the increase in touches that he needs to make that final leap and earn a long-awaited All-Star nod.
Turner has made significant progress as an offensive player in recent years. It's an admittedly necessary step considering the NBA's proclivity for prioritizing offensive standards above all else when determining who the All-Stars should be.
Turner averaged 12.7 points per game on .489/.349/.768 shooting between his first seven seasons, but has increased his output to 16.8 points on .517/.377/.776 marks over the past three.
During that same period, Turner's offensive involvement has increased significantly. He's gone from 12.3 field goal and 2.6 three-point field goal attempts per 36 minutes to 14.5 and 5.7, and has averaged at least 22.0 points per 36 over two of the past three seasons.
In Milwaukee, starring in a rotation of unproven players will enable Turner to play more minutes than he did in Indiana and thus produce in the manner needed to bridge the All-Star gap.
Myles Turner can finally become an All-Star in Milwaukee
Turner becoming an All-Star will require Milwaukee to achieve a degree of team success that many doubt they can. Giannis Antetokounmpo is a virtual lock to be an All-Star in 2025-26, with a string of nine consecutive selections offering ample evidence to support such a claim.
As such, if the Bucks are going to send two players to the All-Star Game, then they'll need to at least have a top-four record in the Eastern Conference.
Milwaukee proved team dominance wasn't a prerequisite in 2024-25, of course, but Damian Lillard received his ninth career All-Star Game selection—while Turner is going for his first. Whether or not that should matter, reputation is a factor when it comes time to vote.
With this in mind, Turner must not only show out individually, but provide a meaningful impact on winning to quell any concerns about whether or not Milwaukee deserves two All-Stars.
Thankfully, the door is wide open for Turner to realize his full potential. Milwaukee's second and third-leading returning scorers after Antetokounmpo are Kyle Kuzma at 14.5 points per game and Bobby Portis at 13.9, with Kevin Porter Jr. and Gary Trent Jr. rounding out the group at 11.7 and 11.1.
With this in mind, there's every reason to believe Turner can reproduce the success he had late in his Pacers career at more than 22 points per 36 minutes.
In the event that Turner is scoring at a rate that puts him in the range of 20 points per game, defending at the level he's capable of, and the Bucks are winning at a top-four pace, an All-Star nod should be available to him. It's equally as possible that he'll finally get All-Defense recognition.
Individual accolades certainly aren't the primary goal for Turner and the Bucks, but a long-awaited accolade to solidify his status as a top big from his era could soon be on the way.