Strengths
So much of what Myles Turner does can be chalked up to his impressive basketball IQ, but that isn’t the only thing he has going for him. Whether he plays the four or the five, Turner has some really promising strengths, which can be broken down into three main categories at this point: Rim protection, shooting potential and length.
Let’s start with rim protection.
Turner averaged close to five blocks per 40 minutes, and the Longhorns as a whole were fantastic on defense when he was on the court. Turner posted a defensive rating of 86.3, which was the 11th best in all of college basketball, despite playing a ridiculous schedule. Texas’ schedule included games against Kentucky, Kansas (twice), Iowa State (three times) and Oklahoma (twice), and all in all, they ended up playing 13 games against ranked opponents.
That strength of schedule just adds to how impressive the Longhorns were as a whole on defense, and much of that was due to the play of Turner, who was an absolute defensive monster right from the get-go. After all, Turner recorded eight blocks in his first two college games, and it seemed like it was just too easy for him.
Overall, Turner’s block numbers were inconsistent, but it wasn’t really his fault. Head coach Rick Barnes turned away from his star freshman as the season went on, despite a more than solid track record. And it’s also worth mentioning that Barnes is no longer the coach of Texas. The school parted ways with their longtime head coach following another disappointing early NCAA Tournament exit.
But back on topic, Turner certainly affected games with his rim protection. On 15 different occasions, Turner recorded at least three blocks, and he recorded at least five blocks on nine different occasions. Turner’s single game career-high for blocked shots was six, which he hit four times, again, doing so while playing just 22.2 minutes per game.
But he wasn’t just getting it done on the defensive side of the ball.
Turner cracked double-digits in scoring for just 13 games, but more often than not, he was able to score when he saw time on the court. In each of his first four games playing 20 minutes, Turner scored in double figures, and he hit the 15-point mark in nearly half of the games in which he played at least 20 minutes.
While most of his damage came from inside the three-point line, the groundwork is certainly there for Turner to become a good outside shooter.
His three-point percentage overall was pretty poor, but Turner was solid stepping away from the hoop and shooting a short-to-midrange jumper. However, he still needs to improve overall as a shooter if he’s going to get it done at the NBA level.
Sir Charles In Charge
One more thing worth noting about Turner as a shooter is his free throw percentage. Turner shot 83.9 percent from the line at Texas, with lines such as 9-of-9, 7-of-7 and 14-of-17 from the stripe. He’s a guy that has no problem getting fouled and going to the line, which is especially important given the number of current NBA big men there are who cannot hit their free throws.
Turner’s 83.9 free throw percentage would have been good enough for fifth out of all NBA centers and power forwards last year. Additionally, it would have been more than twice as high as two starting big men in the NBA: DeAndre Jordan (39.7 percent) and Andre Drummond (38.9 percent).
Finally, we arrive at the measurements section.
Turner measured as the fifth tallest player in the draft, at 6’11.5”, and he posted the second highest standing reach (9’4”) and fourth largest wingspan (7’4″). That length is something that will definitely translate, no matter the position. And lastly, Turner weighed in at less than 240 pounds, meaning that if he can find a way to improve his mobility, there’s definitely a strong chance that he could play the four at the NBA level — although that is a big “if.”
Next: Weaknesses