Giannis Antetokounmpo is set to miss one to two weeks after sustaining a groin strain Monday in Cleveland. Surviving his absence will be a group effort for the Milwaukee Bucks. For Myles Turner specifically, stepping up his offensive contributions just became non-negotiable. After having the chance to muck through a slow start, now's the time to take charge and start being more aggressive.
Bucks brought in Turner to be more than an offensive afterthought
Learning Milwaukee's system has clearly involved some growing pains for Turner. On the season, his 12.3 points per game do not reflect his advertised abilities as a scorer. He hasn't been especially efficient; his 58.7 true shooting percentage would be his lowest in six seasons. He needed to give the Bucks more, anyway, and with Giannis sidelined, that development is only more urgent.
Encouragingly, Turner has shown signs of life in recent games. Since NBA Cup play began, he is getting up more shots, and his point totals have followed. Even including a clunker against the Lakers, in that seven-game stretch, he is averaging over 15 points per game and making over half his triple tries. The main issue is his continued inefficiency inside the arc, resulting in a 43.8 percent conversion rate on twos.
Defense has not been an issue. Since coming to Milwaukee, Turner looks like the D.P.O.Y. candidate of his prime. The key will be distributing more energy on the offensive end to chip into the scoring deficit created by Giannis' subtraction. Although they share dissimilar shot profiles, as a starting member of the frontcourt, Turner is Milwaukee's most natural source of extra offense.
In the nights ahead, Turner must channel whatever energy he had during the five-game stretch that culminated in the Bucks' overtime win over Charlotte. Turner went a season-best 6-for-8 from 3-point range, but more importantly, he was simply taking more shots against everyone, as well as getting to the free-throw line. Twice in that span, he reached the 20-point threshold. Aside from Giannis and Ryan Rollins, not many Bucks have done that this season.
Turner has already quelled concerns around his 3-point shot. Really, that hasn't been an issue since the first several games. He just needs to be more aggressive at all levels of the floor. Attempting a minimum of 10 shots every game is a good benchmark for him moving forward. That would put him on par with his volume in recent years in Indiana. Each of the past three seasons, he averaged 11 to 12 shots per game as a third option at best.
With Giannis out, he will be at least that important in the offensive hierarchy. Realistically, he needs to be the No. 2 option behind Rollins. As a guard-big man combo, they should have opportunities to play off each other in pick-and-rolls or pick-and-pops, utilizing Rollins' aggression and Turner's outside range.
Generating looks from that two-man game, for both themselves and teammates, could be the thing that keeps the offense afloat until Antetokounmpo comes back.