Bucks are staring at obvious Myles Turner problem that nobody is talking about

Myles Turner needs elite playmaking to be at his best, and the Milwaukee Bucks don't have that.
Milwaukee Bucks, Myles Turner, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Tyrese Haliburton, Domantas Sabonis
Milwaukee Bucks, Myles Turner, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Tyrese Haliburton, Domantas Sabonis | William Purnell/GettyImages

Myles Turner has played with an elite playmaker at almost every step of his career, but now that he doesn’t have one to lead the way on the Milwaukee Bucks, there could be some concerns. Giannis Antetokounmpo will naturally create space and use his playmaking to lift Turner up, but it’s still going to be a change.

For nearly his entire career, Turner has played alongside Tyrese Haliburton or Domantas Sabonis—two of the best playmakers in the NBA today. Now, he’s playing with a guard rotation led by Kevin Porter Jr., Cole Anthony, and Gary Trent Jr., none of whom are great passers.

Antetokounmpo’s passing may not be enough to salvage that.

How could Myles Turner be affected?

Turner has never been the best at creating for himself. Throughout the course of his career, he’s thrived in situations where teammates, such as Haliburton and Sabonis, have set him up for easy buckets.

Whether this be creating space for Turner to get open threes or running the pick-and-roll, the new Bucks big man has thrived in spots where he can simply play his role and go from there.

Obviously, he’s been good enough at that role to the point where he’s put up big scoring numbers. At his peak, Turner averaged 18.0 points in the 2022-23 season. However, the Pacers missed the postseason that year.

And even then, 77.3% of his twos were assisted on, and 96.8% of his threes were assisted on. During this past year’s playoffs, when the Pacers enjoyed the most success they’ve had in franchise history, 84.0% of Turner’s twos and 100% of his threes were assisted on.

When he’s at his best, and more importantly, when his team is at its best, Turner is the beneficiary of great playmaking. The Bucks don’t exactly have that lining their roster.

In fact, the Bucks released the best playmaker on their roster, Damian Lillard, in order to sign Turner. Taking a step back, that’s a bit backwards, considering the type of player Turner is.

Now, the Bucks are going to have to find a way to maximize Turner’s skill set without the very thing that he needs to maximize his skill set.

This should raise some serious concerns regarding Turner’s potential fit in Milwaukee, despite the fact that Antetokounmpo’s playmaking alone should be enough to account for a good portion of Turner’s buckets.

The question is, will the rest of the roster be able to fill the gaps?