The Indiana Pacers decided that starting Myles Turner was the correct move to make and he made his first career NBA start at power forward on Thursday night against the Atlanta Hawks. It was the perfect move by Frank Vogel and he needs to remain in the starting lineup.
Turner came on strong for the Pacers during their west coast road trip and backed it up with a big performance in their return home against the Los Angeles Clippers. He may be a rookie, but he is showing potential superstar talent. That was the case once again against the Hawks last night.
During his first career start, Turner ended up scoring 20 points on 9-17 shooting to go along with six rebounds. He played 26 minutes and brought a lot of energy and excitement to the floor.
Vogel could not have decided to make the switch to Turner in the starting lineup at a better time for the team.
Indiana had lost three straight games heading into the game against Atlanta and the losing stream was wearing on the team. They have struggled with injury problems throughout the season and were still missing Rodney Stuckey against the Hawks. Despite that fact, the team seemed to pull together and the new starting lineup showed flashes of brilliance together.
Perhaps the craziest part of this entire story, is that Turner made his first start at just 19 years of age. He does not play like a 19-year-old and has the confidence of a seasoned veteran.
Part of that has to do with the teammates that he has around him. Monta Ellis is an excellent leader for him to view as a mentor and he has strong players like Paul George, Ian Mahinmi, George Hill and even C.J. Miles who can teach him the game. Vogel may have his issues as a head coach, but he does know how to get the best out of his players and motivate them to work as hard as possible.
Looking ahead at the future for Turner, the Pacers have to be incredibly excited about their young big man. He is already receiving comparisons to current NBA stars.
Expect to see the Pacers stick with Turner in the starting lineup and don't be surprised to see him continue improving throughout the rest of the season.
Check out the full highlights from Turner's first career start for yourself and enjoy watching the young man go to work.
