A mere hour after troubling Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat, the top scorer of the Indiana Pacers, Myles Turner, is now out for the team’s next quest. With Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman sidelined, he was the only true center remaining on the roster. Forward Obi Toppin could be the player starting from the center position. His performance against the Heat was commendable after what has happened in the past few days.

“He was frustrated after Friday, we all were,” Tyrese Haliburton said of Turner after the Heat game. “But like I told you, I’ve been a part of building the culture here, he’s been here the longest, so he understands that as well. He wants more for himself, like he didn’t feel like he played as good as he can. He came out aggressive, came out motivated, came out communicating, and that really helped.”

Throughout this season, Turner has often displayed visible frustration on the court. You’ll see him drop his head or throw his arms up after hustling to help a teammate who got beat on a drive. He frequently forces the opponent to miss, only for no one else to rotate and stop his man from grabbing an easy rebound or scoring on a putback.

After putting up 34 points and grabbing nine rebounds in Sunday’s victory over the Heat, Turner won’t suit up on Monday. He’s been ruled out of the Toronto Raptors match due to a strained right calf.

Fans saw the attitude change in Myles Turner

Fans are unhappy because he was just starting to get his footing right. One user wrote on X, “This is incredibly unfortunate 😭”.
Turner delivered his strongest performance since the Pacers’ November 4 win over the Mavericks in Dallas, earning a podium appearance.

Another user tweeted “Oh no very bad news” for the Pacers. The Pacers’ rocky 6-7 start and Turner’s underwhelming 2024-25 season have put the starting center under heavy scrutiny. Following a much-needed victory, the 6-foot-11 center didn’t shy away from addressing the criticism. Instead, he used the moment to hold himself accountable, willing to answer not just his critics, but also himself.

Accepting the criticism and working on it shows drive like nothing else. One netizen was very upset that he wrote “Noooo”. He’s in his 10th season with the Pacers. “I’m so emotionally invested into this season more than I ever have been in my career,” said Turner. He’s had a lot of success in the past but hasn’t been able to replicate it. His attitude change now feels good for the fans as well.

Another user tweeted “Uh ohhhhh“, that’s right. The Pacers have a problem on their hand. Who is going to play Center? With Turner sidelined, the Pacers now have six players ruled out for Monday night, all of whom were key rotation pieces at the start of the season. As the only traditional center available, his absence leaves a big void. Toppin is expected to slide into the starting center role to cover for him, while rookie Enrique Freeman will probably step up as the backup center for the second unit.

One user tweeted that he was “This is the best player” in the last match. In their last matchup, Myles Turner faced Bam Adebayo for 40 minutes. Despite Adebayo dominating the Pacers in Friday’s second half, Turner outperformed him this time, scoring 30 points to Adebayo’s 24 and grabbing 9 rebounds compared to Adebayo’s 8. The Pacers also outscored the Heat by 9 during Adebayo’s minutes, which matched the final margin in their 119-110 victory.

So what do you think about Turner turning a new page?