Fans of Myles Turner are despairing this season because he’s shooting the worst he’s ever shot from the field in his career (45.6%) while also scoring the lowest PPG per game since his rookie season (11.9). And fans of the Pacers are despairing because he decided to start doing this in the first year of a four-year deal where he gets paid an even 18 million each year. And DownToBuck is despairing because he really does like Turner’s game with the rainbow jumpers and the fun hair.
Basically the only person who isn’t despairing right now is Domantas Sabonis (except for, you know, the whole “season-ending injury” thing). Sabonis was an All-Star this season (which is why he’s not on my channel anymore, sorry Lithuanians) and his success came directly at the expense of Turner’s success. The star bigman on the Pacers was always supposed to be Turner. Ever since he was drafted, he was the heir apparent to replace…uh…Jermaine O’Neal. And Jeff Foster. But now that’s not happening because Sabonis (who was just a throw-in on the Paul George trade, remember) is the star bigman on the Pacers and Turner is just some role-player in a support role.
That’s why making this video was a sadness-inducing affair rather than a happiness-inducing one. Sometimes Turner has these games where he shows promise as a stretchy, athletic, shot-blocking big who can get it done at both ends while having fun hair. But more often, he’s not having these games. I need a hug.
But not from any of my subs because I know what my subs are like and they’re not the kind of people you want to be hugged by.