Indiana Pacers’ Myles Turner had perhaps the best defensive season of his career yet and should be a candidate for NBA Defensive Player of the Year 2021. The 24-year-old leads the league in blocked shots with 3.9 per competition.
Blocking shots isn’t everything when it comes to defense, however. Turner knows this all too well, having averaged the top 2.7 blocks per game in 2018-19 and failing to win the award.
He recently spoke to ESPN’s Eric Woodward about how much more it means to be a defensive specialist.
“You can lead the league in shot blocking and still not form an all-defensive team.”
For gymnasts, it’s more about making an overall impact on that side of the floor and changing the outcome of the game.
“When I come out defensive, I make a big difference. I change games. I’m in the right place in the fourth quarter. I really feel like I can push my team and I’ve won a lot of games on my defense. So I just know that I have that and that my teammates know that I know I’m back and can have everyone back. That makes it easier for everyone. “
As good as Turner was defensive, the Pacers were a part of the road team overall. For Turner, the advancement of team defense in Indiana will lead to more victories as they want to reach the playoffs of the Eastern Conference again.
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