Pacers' Myles Turner Was 'Pissed' When Magic Didn't Draft Him in 2015
Myles Turner is entering his ninth season with the Indiana Pacers, but he says he was nearly drafted by the Orlando Magic with the No. 5 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
"I thought I was going number five to Orlando...I'm at the table in the green room," Turner said in an interview with Tidal League's "Run Your Race" podcast. "'With the number five pick, the Orlando Magic select Mario Hezonja.' I'm like, 'who the f*ck is this?'"
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Hezonja would go on to have a disappointing three years for the Magic, while Turner still remains on the Pacers as a reliable post defender who can step out and shoot the deep ball. Last season, while he averaged 18 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game for a Pacers team that performed better than expected, Hezonja was averaging less than 10 points per game in the EuroLeague with Real Madrid.
"I'm kind of pissed, because you know how they do that. They bring in some European prospect that nobody knows about," Turner said. "[It was] a blessing from the skies, [because] I did not need to go number 10 to Miami."
What would the Magic look like now if Turner had been picked at the spot he was promised? Maybe a trio of Aaron Gordon, Victor Oladipo, and Turner may have changed the league. While it's fun to speculate, Orlando finally seems to be on the trend upward after the past few drafts have proved successful for the now promising team.
