Myles Turner found his alter ego in Tyrese Haliburton

NBA – The Pacers have finally found the perfect counterpart for their interior and have with this tandem a good basis to look to the future with ambition.

close to release in recent years, Myles Turner took its troubles patiently until the trade that sent Domantas Sabonis to Sacramento, and has been living again since the arrival of Tyrese Haliburtona tall point guard who was also coxed in California, by a certain De’Aaron Fox.

A little over four months after their first association, the results are more than positive and the Pacers now have this base, with a solid 1-5 axis around which they can build.

A clear connection on the pitch

Once paired on the field, the two players quickly found each other and this season, only the Harden-Embiid tandems in Philadelphia and Paul-Ayton combined more on pick-and-roll. In fact, Myles Turner is also more involved in the attacking game and it shows statistically, the interior having pulverized his points average compared to his previous years.

“It was a wonderful opportunity for Myles to play with a playmaker of the caliber of Tyrese”confirmed Rick Carlisle. “A few weeks ago we checked and they were in the Top 5 or Te top 6 in the league in successful pick-and-roll connections, and that’s pretty amazing. Myles generates all sorts of things, he gets rolls for dunks, a bit of a mid-range shot, good opportunities for 3-point shots and he can pick up some late underhand passes for dunks too. I love how hard he plays. Tyrese had a wonderful impact on Myles and certainly on the rest of the team, but the connection between these two guys was special.

For his part, Tyrese Haliburton also benefited from this association, becoming an established scorer at more than 20 points per game and especially winning his first star to participate in the All-Star Game. It’s also in this sense that the duo is promising, as the two players have only been able to be paired since the start of the season due to a stress injury to the left foot picked up by Myles Turner in early 2022.

“It’s a shame that I didn’t get the chance to play with him last year and really start developing that synergy, but I think we really managed to find each other quickly. Tyrese is someone who is easy to play with. Obviously he sees the game well. And as the season has gone on, we’ve done a better job of communicating with each other. It was a fun experience”

added Myles Turner. “I feel like I know what he’s going to do before he does it, in a way. These are things that come the more we play together.

Pace for life?

Mistreated not long ago, having to find his place alongside a Domantas Sabonis on a hypothetical position 4, Myles Turner finally feels ” comfortable “. No more question of evoking a departure. After signing a two-year contract extension for $60 million, the pivot now imagines himself in Indianapolis for the long term.

“I am where I want to be. I grow up with a young, hungry team. I think we’re just trying to get better every day, and that’s the whole point of it all. I have a lot of faith in this city, in this program and in the guys in this locker room, and that’s what made me want to stay here.”he added, even imagining his entire career in the jersey of the Pacers. “Obviously it’s something that would be very special. As I always say, the business of basketball still reigns supreme, but my loyalty is to the organization that drafted me, to the city that welcomed me, and I hope it can stay that way for the years to come “.

A big change of tone compared to his declaration of love to the Lakers at the start of the campaign…