Finals of the NBA 2025: Myles Turner’s patience has borne fruit with the pacers after years of commercial rumors – “I am a faithful guy”

Indianapolis – Myles Turner showing its value as DIY in the NBA final is not a surprise.

Myles Turner does it in an Indiana Pacers uniform is the surprise, given the number of times it has been considered the “missing piece” of everyone and constantly in commercial rumors.

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However, in a way, he played the eighth games (703) for the team that drafted him – lying down only Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokić, Jaylen Brown, Devin Booker and Jayson Tatum among active players.

To put this rarity in an additional context, Shai Gilgeous -Alexander does not enter this category after having been exchanged after his recruit year in Los Angeles – and even if he did it, he played a little more than half of Turner’s matches in a uniform of Oklahoma City.

All the aforementioned names have played in the NBA final, and now Turner, during the last year of his contract with the Pacers, adds to the list.

“I am a faithful guy,” Turner told Yahoo Sports recently. “It’s always my business card, I wanted to finish what I started. Of course, it is flattering for the teams to see your value, I want you to be part of your system. But I wanted to do it where I was written.”

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He has been with the Pacers for a long time to play with former pillar Paul George and Monta Ellis in these teams ten years ago. A few years later, he was one of the teams that presented Domantas Sabonis and Victor Oladipo, when Oladipo looked like the next big shooter.

He played under Frank Vogel, Nate McMillan, Nate Bjorkgren and, now, Rick Carlisle.

“He is extremely faithful. He has a great ability to focus on what is important,” said Carlisle on Tuesday. “Over the years, I think that all players who are really good players, at one point or another, probably have their name involved in commercial rumors. Whether disclosed by another team, whether someone throws things on the wall, creating content, anything.”

It was the twinning with Sabonis which highlighted the need of the Pacers to get rid of a great man, just as the Kings of Sacramento had too much – thus creating a natural trade partner during the 2021-222 season. At that time, Turner had already had his name linked to everyone.

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“It was a lot. You know, my first initial emotions were, you feel a little rejected,” Turner told Yahoo Sports. “You have the impression that your value does not have the same weight as it did not do it, but you then start to learn that it is part of a business.”

But the Pacers chose Turner on Sabonis and acquired Tyrese Haliburton in an agreement with the Kings. Even if Turner was injured at the time – he missed the second half of this season with a stress reaction in his foot – the agreement returned Turner to the center and gave him a real leader.

It was impossible to predict, however, that the Pacers, who won only five games after this trade deadline, would lay the foundations for a conference final two years later and a trip to the final this year.

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“”[It took] Lots of patience, “said Turner.” I would not call it while waiting for my turn, but I stay just down. Doing things in the right way and letting the rest take care of himself.

“So I think that when the job has happened, it was this last piece that allowed me to enter my natural position.”

Perhaps because only so much NBA bandwidth is attributed to the Pacers, it is easy to forget that Turner represents everything that the teams want in the big ones of today.

Can you stretch the ground? Check, it is a 40% 3 -point shooting game on almost six attempts per game. Can you defend yourself in space and on the edge? Check, check, he directed the Ligue in block twice and in fact on average two per game this year. Are you also strong enough to finish at the edge? Check, check, check.

The figures may seem modest to some – 15 points, 5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in this race in the playoffs – but everyone can see their value.

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“We are constantly sending clips how we can be better in the pick-and-roll, how I can help him, how he can help me, whatever the case,” said Haliburton. “We hear ourselves very well. I think that has given us a lot of success. ”

Haliburton laughed, thinking of Richaun Holmes being the first big big one with whom he played Sacramento.

“I always thought that in my career, I was going to be the best with a guy who plays above the edge and a threat from Pick-And-Roll,” said Haliburton, who believes that he may have launched “Three Alley-Oops” since he played with Turner. “Now, having experience with Myles so long, I have the impression that he unlocks a lot from what I do.

“It was an interesting dynamic to play by his side. Myles will not catch a ton of lobs. … It’s different. Our league is different. He is a pop guy more than not. When he drives, he opens things for me too. It was very fun.”

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Even this series is different with Oklahoma City Thunder playing a lot of queues, opposing Turner to Chet Holmgren or Isaiah Hartenstein. It is solid enough so that it cannot be moved to the paint.

His Dos stall, 3 points of 3 points in match 1 was essential in the Pacers ending an improbable return, and maybe they will need more. But Turner is careful to want to do too much.

“Continue to be myself, do the things that brought me here,” he told Yahoo Sports. “There is no need, once you arrive at the end of the finals, do not change things. You continue to do all the little things that make you effective in the first place.”

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At Carlisle’s credit, he did not want to be part of the conversation on Turner who goes anywhere as a free agent, and it seems that the Pacers will be aggressive while trying to keep it this summer.

“I haven’t heard his name in rumors lately,” said Carlisle, somewhat annoyed. “I do not know what you are talking about. Unless you are talking about a free agency, we are not going to enter all of this. There is a fine, so I will avoid this.”

Carlisle preached the 19 -day final, so Turner will not admit too much for the free agency.

“I look forward to the next few days ahead of me. And once I get there, I will be there,” said Turner. “It’s inactive time between games, so you can’t look too much to the future.”