Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner has long been one of the best shot blockers in the NBA. Now, he can say that he is the best in Pacers team history.
On Friday, the Pacers defeated the Golden State Warriors by the score of 123-111. The 27-year-old Turner was a force on the defensive end blocking five shots. That helped him overtake Jermaine O’Neal for first in team history for career blocks.
Pacers Center Breaks Career Franchise Record
Turner Overtakes a Franchise Great
Selected with the 11th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft out of Texas, Turner is now in his ninth season, all with the Pacers.
After last night’s game, Turner has now blocked 1,248 shots in his NBA career. He has now overtaken franchise icon O’Neal to move atop the franchise leaderboard for career blocks.
O’Neal played eight seasons for Indiana spanning from 2000-01 to 2007-08. The near seven-footer was named to six straight All-Star teams while sporting a Pacers jersey. O’Neal totaled 1,245 blocked shots while with Indiana. He surpassed Rik Smits who previously owned the team record with 1,111 blocks.
It is an awesome feat for Turner and one that many believed he wouldn’t get the chance to accomplish. Turner has been involved in numerous trade rumors over previous seasons, but nothing ever materialized.
Turner has Been Swatting Shots Since Debuting With Indiana
In his one year playing college ball for Texas, Turner blocked 89 shots in 34 games. That defensive prowess helped him become a lottery pick after just one collegiate season.
Turner has twice led the NBA in blocks per game. In 2018-19, he averaged 2.7 and in 2020-21, he averaged a career-high 3.4. Turner has four other seasons where he has averaged more than two blocks a contest.
In his 67 outings this season, Turner has 124 blocked shots, good for 1.9 per game. That currently places him with the ninth-most per game this season.
Turner’s 1,248 blocks already place him 59th in NBA history, and he is just 27 years old. Eighty more blocked shots will put him in the top 50 surpassing Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
Turner is Signed for One More Season
In January of 2023, Turner was signed to a two-year extension. That keeps him signed until the 2024-25 season. If another extension isn’t signed, he will be entering free agency at the age of 29.
The Pacers are an ascending club led by All-Star Tyrese Haliburton. Indiana hasn’t reached the playoffs in each of the last three seasons. They haven’t gotten out of the first round of the Eastern Conference postseason since 2014.
The Pacers are currently 40-31, good for sixth in the Eastern Conference standings. A top six seed is needed to avoid the Play-In Tournament. They are 1.5 games clear of the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers, who sit seventh and eighth respectively in the current Eastern Conference standings.
With the improvement the team has been showing, the Pacers may deem it of utmost importance to bring back Myles Turner.
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