Myles Turner shows off improved offensive skills with career game vs Boston Celtics

Turner dropped 40 points on Thursday night

Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner is having a career year. The stats say it, his former teammates say it, and his current Pacers group of peers often praise his talents.

"He's unreal on both ends of the floor. He's the best shot blocker in the NBA, and his ability to pick and pop is such a mismatch," veteran point guard T.J. McConnell said of Turner on Thursday night. McConnell and Turner have been teammates with the Pacers since 2019.

McConnell was gushing about Turner last night because the Pacers starting center had perhaps the best game of his career against the Boston Celtics. Turner finished with 40 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, and a block against the defending Eastern Conference champions, and he shot 86.7% in the process. He crushed every coverage Boston threw at him.

"Myles Turner came out and played exceptional," Celtics star Jaylen Brown said. "He was just hitting shots. Got hot, made us pay. Part of our game plan, we wanted him to take them. He knocked them down... Myles did a great job of making us pay."

Turner had only scored 40 points in his career one time prior to Thursday night. In his first 40-point outing, the big man took 22 shots. Last night, he only needed 15 of them. Turner was remarkably efficient and gave the Pacers a chance against the best team in the NBA.

According to Shane Young of Forbes Sports, Turner had the most efficient 40-point game in league history. With a true shooting percentage of 110.6%, Turner truly did it all.

Myles Turner just had the most efficient 40+ point game in NBA history.

40 points on 110.6% True Shooting

5-of-5 from two
8-of-10 from three
6-of-7 at the line

— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) February 24, 2023

"He was amazingly efficient offensively. Game like this, if you're going to beat Boston, your bigs gotta be hitting shots. Myles hit eight threes... and he did damage on the inside too," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said after the game. Turner was a +9 on the night as he helped Indiana nearly pull off a huge win.

Turner's impressive outing ended with a career-high in points and made threes. He was brilliant from beyond the arc. But what made his scoring so effective was his varied offensive approach, which featured rim attacks and post moves.

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Turner posted up Marcus Smart, the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, and hit a hook shot in the lane. He posted up Jayson Tatum and switched gears, fading away from the paint and banking in a jumper. He was fouled often and got to the line seven times. The outside shots are the headliner, and Turner made Boston pay for not covering him from deep. But he also went inside and punished Celtics switches, which was huge for the blue and gold.

"Just being aggressive," Turner said of his outing. "The three is what presented itself the most tonight, and I was just making the most of my opportunities."

Turner has always been known for his shooting, but the other offensive skills he has added and developed are what has changed his impact level this year. He's taking more shots at the rim and finishing them at a high level. He rolls more after screens, and he can punish smalls in the post. He infrequently takes mid-range shots, but he makes the ones he attempts. Turner can score from just about anywhere this year, and it led to a career night on Thursday.

"Just not being one dimensional. In times past, past few years, I think I just kind of settled a lot on the perimeter. Kinda floated out there a lot. I just like the fact that I'm just going back to playing the way I know I can play inside and out," Turner said of what he's been happiest about with regards to his offensive growth. "I know teams try to go small, put smalls on me. I can score in the post. I get to the free throw line. I can score in the mid range. I'm a three-level scorer."

Turner is now averaging 18 points per game, a career high by over three full points. The big man has often shared in the past that he felt as if he hadn't scratched the surface of his potential yet, and this year, he is proving that he was right.

The eight-year pro, who received a contract extension last month, has five 30+ point games this year. He had four in his entire career prior to the ongoing campaign. The University of Texas product has become much more of an offensive weapon in his age 27 season, and all of his abilities were on display against Boston.

"He hasn't really been the starting [center] since he's been here, and he's showing how great he really is in that role by his ability to put pressure on the rim when team's switch," McConnell said after the game. Turner played a much more perimeter-heavy role next to Domantas Sabonis in past seasons.

"He played really good... helped us in a lot of different ways," Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton said of Turner.

Indiana ultimately fell in overtime to the Celtics, but they don't even get to the extra period without Turner's contributions. The big man is having his best-ever season, and Thursday night, he might have had his best-ever individual game.

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