Podcast guest “Tidal League”, Myles Turner spoke about the opponents who gave him the most trouble during his NBA career. With eight seasons already under the clock, the interior of the Pacers has seen many beautiful people pass through. But if there were only one left, it would be DeMarcus Cousins, from the Sacramento era, he said.
“From a physical standpoint, DeMarcus Cousins was the most difficult player I had to defend. Really, when he was in his prime in Sacramento. He got into you, could shoot from afar, get the job done. It’s really a time when you can feel helpless.”did he declare.
During his first career trip to Sacramento, in January 2016, the young (and frail) Myles Turner had indeed suffered greatly against DeMarcus Cousins, author of 48 points and 13 rebounds in 39 minutes…
The Marvin Williams Nightmare
More surprisingly, the Indiana interior also cited Marvin Williams, whom he had to face more often with Charlotte and whose elusive 4 position profile visibly caused him some problems.
“I had a hard time defending on him because he was so good at getting behind the 3-point line quickly. He came off the screen at high speed and scored from far away every time. I didn’t know how to defend that.”he added. “When I was drafted, we had Ian Mahinmi, Jordan Hill and Lavoy Allen, position 5s who were ahead of me. So I sometimes had to play 4 and find myself facing him. And I’m used to defending the rim, not the outside shot. Every time we played them, and I had to defend on him, it was really hard to follow him. He was constantly moving. I couldn’t tarnish it.”
Obviously, Myles Turner finally had to recognize the talent of LeBron James, the executioner of the Pacers in the playoffs with the Cavs in 2017 and 2018. A player who marked him with his basketball IQ and his influence on the game.
“I was definitely one of those guys, you know… I wasn’t a LeBron hater, but I was like, ‘He’s good, but he’s not Kobe,’ that kind of thing. . Until the day I played against him. One of the smartest players I’ve ever played against. His influence on the game is incredible, and his vision is not talked about enough. He doesn’t necessarily need to score to influence the game and that’s why he has ruled the league all this time. He sees things before they happen. We ran a system, and it announced everything we were going to do in the system (…). He really studies the game” concludes the Indianapolis player.
| Myles Turner | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2015-16 | IND | 60 | 23 | 49.8 | 21.4 | 72.7 | 1.1 | 4.4 | 5.5 | 0.7 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 10.3 |
| 2016-17 | IND | 81 | 31 | 51.0 | 34.5 | 80.9 | 1.7 | 5.6 | 7.3 | 1.3 | 3.2 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 14.5 |
| 2017-18 | IND | 65 | 28 | 47.9 | 35.7 | 77.7 | 1.4 | 5.0 | 6.4 | 1.3 | 2.9 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 12.7 |
| 2018-19 | IND | 74 | 29 | 48.7 | 38.8 | 73.6 | 1.4 | 5.8 | 7.2 | 1.6 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 2.7 | 13.3 |
| 2019-20 | IND | 62 | 30 | 45.7 | 34.4 | 75.1 | 1.4 | 5.2 | 6.6 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 2.1 | 12.1 |
| 2020-21 | IND | 47 | 31 | 47.7 | 33.5 | 78.2 | 1.3 | 5.2 | 6.5 | 1.0 | 3.5 | 0.9 | 1.4 | 3.4 | 12.6 |
| 2021-22 | IND | 42 | 29 | 50.9 | 33.3 | 75.2 | 1.6 | 5.5 | 7.1 | 1.1 | 2.8 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 2.8 | 12.9 |
| 2022-23 | IND | 62 | 29 | 54.8 | 37.3 | 78.3 | 1.4 | 6.1 | 7.5 | 1.4 | 3.5 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 18.0 |
| Total | 493 | 29 | 49.8 | 35.3 | 77.1 | 1.4 | 5.4 | 6.8 | 1.2 | 3.0 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 2.3 | 13.4 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
