Following a so-so start to the 2024-25 season, the Indiana Pacers have since responded with that of a playoff team. In a recent interview, Pacers starting center Myles Turner sounded off on the team "making pieces fit" for another playoff run.
Turner is the longest-tenured Pacers player. Although he's not the leading player you think of when discussing the team, he's seen enough to understand when his team clicks. After starting the 2024-25 campaign 9-14, they answered their naysayers with a 27-14 record.
In a recent interview with Sportskeeda's Grant Afseth, Turner provided his opinion of the current Pacers.
The Pacers have an identical roster, which they deployed during the 2023-24 season. How did the Pacers become a team with chances of finishing with the fourth seed despite not making any significant roster changes?
Turner believes in internal development.
*"*It's a combination of just our offensive disposition," Turner told Sportskeeda. "I believe that we've decided to pick it up on that end. I think that's something that's really helped us in these past couple of games [...] I think we've been getting off to better starts."
Last season, although the Pacers finished second in offensive rating, they lacked aggression to start games. Despite ranking in the top four among points per first quarter, offensive rating, and pace, one advanced metric didn't favor the Pacers.
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Indiana ranked 17th in net rating for the first quarter of the 2023-24 campaign. Such a statistic could depend heavily on the Pacers' defensive woes, but it also implies that they didn't outscore their opponent enough in the opening period.
Turner believes such a turnaround has much to do with their effort.
What do the Pacers need next to improve? In Turner's eyes, not much.
'We just have all the pieces we need. I think that at times, sometimes teams are like, ‘If only we had this, if only we had that.' That's not really the case for us," Turner explained. "I think we have everything we need to compete. It's just a matter of making all the pieces fit and just get hot at the right time."
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The Pacers made the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals with an identical roster, legitimizing Turner's faith in his squad. Moreover, Haliburton's recent success proves his All-NBA season wasn't a mere fluke, and when healthy, he is one of the best point guards in the game. In addition to Haliburton, Pascal Siakam provides the team with a steady but vocal championship presence with the All-Star hardware to boot.
Although the Pacers have much work to do, the continuity in their roster could fare well once the playoffs begin. Given Turner's appraisal of the team, perhaps they are in for another deep run in the postseason.
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This story was originally published March 18, 2025 at 9:27 AM.