NBA IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT

December 8, 2023

Myles Turner

Indiana Pacers

Championship Practice Day

Q. Myles, you guys have talked a lot about the opportunity this tournament has provided. You obviously beat teams like Philly, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Boston, now I think the top four teams in the East last year in the Playoffs, now you get to face LeBron and the Lakers. Do you feel like especially if you guys get this win tomorrow, do you feel like you’ve really accomplished what you set out to do in terms of putting you guys on the map nationally and people knowing what you guys are capable of doing?

MYLES TURNER: I think it's a step in that direction. I don't think we're fully accomplished until we get to the end goal of getting to the Playoffs and advancing there. But this is a great little precursor to it. Guys get to see our style of play, just how exciting it is just to watch us play at that. But of course, anytime you can win a championship, it bodes well for your morale, your organization, the team, spirit overall.

Once you win that championship, we're right back to work on Monday. We've got a four-game road trip right after that. You've got to enjoy the run in the NBA. It never stops. It's a step in the right direction.

Q. I know we talk a lot about Tyrese, but yesterday I really noticed at the end of every action in the two-man game or pick-and-roll or pin-down, I don't think people realize the key piece you are with this team. Just talk about that. Was that the goal going into that, having you in every action in terms of a pin-down or ending with you in the pick-and-roll, too?

MYLES TURNER: Yeah, I think with me personally, I've matured over the past couple of years. There's times where I would kind of stand in the corner or stand in the dunking position. But as a five and as active as I am, like I'm never -- I never stop moving. I'm either there setting flare screens, cutting, getting involved in the pick-and-roll. It can be a zone or man. Like constantly trying to move.

You know, I know what my advantage is. A lot of teams can't really guard me with the five. A lot of teams will start with the five, then they'll start putting the three on me or four on me just because of how much I move and whatnot.

I just really try to read the game and take advantage of all the little spaces. I love my mid-range game. That's where I feel like I thrive the most, just in a little pocket area, and Tyrese does a great job of finding me there.

Just getting involved in the action as much as possible, and then yeah, when the shot clock is winding down, that's your bread and butter right there.

Q. With Tyrese's no-look passes, because he throws a lot of them, how is it reading off of that, too, with the amount of no-look passes and reads that he does? Do you constantly have to have movement in terms of doing that because of the way he finds players, too?

MYLES TURNER: Yeah, I mean, it's a synergy thing. I think I've been playing with him long enough now to know when the ball is coming, and it kind of helps because it's kind of a look/no-look. It's like, I know it's coming, but nobody else might.

Yeah, just that kind of synergy developed with your point guard over time.

Q. Are you still playing with Legos in your downtime?

MYLES TURNER: Yes, big, big, big thing. I build Legos. I don't play with Legos. But second of all, yeah, all the time, I got a lot of -- that's literally all I do in my downtime. I get back to the crib, I just kind of -- it's a way for me to take my mind off of things. I'll put some music on, might put a show on or something like that. But at least three or four hours of my day, I'm putting stuff together.

I've already built 12 different projects. I mean, I've counted up everything. I've gone through 120,000 Legos just since the season started. But yeah, I'll count it out there for you.

Q. Don't want to make you feel old, but you're the longest tenured guy on the team. Can you talk about what this means for obviously the city and for the organization?

MYLES TURNER: Yeah, I mean, for someone like myself who has seen this organization go through its ups and downs and some of those darker days, I mean, it means a lot to see us get a chance just to have this opportunity at this level of things.

It's weird; I am the oldest guy here, but I'm only 27 years old, so in terms of like everything, I'm still relatively young.

But that just bodes to how young our team is and how inexperienced our team is at that. I'm just so glad that guys are getting the chance to have the exposure to this national media, have the exposure to this grand stage of things this early in the season because we know what our ultimate goal is.

Q. What are you expecting tomorrow out of the Pacers, out of the Lakers? How much are you anticipating this game, this one game in December? Just some of your feelings going into it.

MYLES TURNER: Well, definitely going to relish the moment. I think the biggest thing I'm expecting is the level of competition. Obviously, you see in these In-Season Tournament games just how the competition is a little bit different than like a regular game and whatnot.

Just the environment, man, just as an athlete, you relish the moments. Those are the ones you dream of, like the big shot, like the big possessions towards the end of the game and whatnot.

I'm really just looking forward to the opportunity. We obviously want to win. We have a championship mindset going into it.

But still a long season and whatnot.

Just taking the moment and just, I guess, reeling it all in.

Q. With all the things that happened in the last weeks, beating the Celtics and the Bucks in the same week, can we consider the Pacers like one of the contenders in the Eastern Conference?

MYLES TURNER: Yeah, I mean, I'd like to think so. I mean, that's obviously our mindset. But until we go out there and keep winning games, I mean, it's just all talk.

It's really about just going out there and standing on what you're talking about. If we go out there and continue to win games, have a good record through the All-Star break and then build on it from there, then yeah, then obviously I feel that way.

But our mindset will never change. We do feel like we're a top team in the Eastern Conference. But you can talk all you want to; it's about what you do out there on the floor.

Q. Do you have any favorite casino games to play?

MYLES TURNER: Yeah, I'm a numbers guy. I like roulette. That's about it. I hate blackjack. I get screwed over every time I play that. I don't really play card games like that.

Everybody has been telling me craps because it's the easiest thing to do is dice, but I don't really -- just routine there, black 33, put on it every time. I promise you.

Q. You guys have been one of the most dominant teams in the NBA, and I know defensively you've been trying to work on that as a team. How has the defensive intensity kind of grown through the In-Season Tournament, and what are some things that you guys would like to improve on and keep consistent even after the tournament?

MYLES TURNER: Well, as far as our defense is concerned, obviously that's just a big thing that everybody wants to talk about as far as like poking holes in our game and it's our approach and whatnot. Rightfully so, that's a side of the floor that we have to get a lot better at. I think that our focus has grown so much throughout this tournament. I think that defense is an effort thing. You can draw up all the schematics in the world, you can go out there and say we're going to do this, we're going to do this pick-and-roll coverage. It's a mindset thing. It's just down to getting stops at the end of the day.

I've seen a lot of maturity in our focus, our focus level, whether it's switching or whether it's like exploiting some of the backside or my teammates are really doing a great job of picking things like that up. Those are the type of habits that you need, championship habits that you need to try to win these games.

I'm very proud of the focus level of things, and I'm looking forward to seeing it go to an even bigger level next game.

Q. You've played with a lot of point guards throughout your career so far. I'm just very curious with Tyrese, how long does it take you to develop chemistry with a guy when he comes in and what are those things that expedite that process?

MYLES TURNER: Well, I was in a unique situation. When Tyrese first got traded here, I was hurt. Like I didn't play the rest of the season. So, I had a chance to sit back and just watch him.

I watched what he was doing with our backup bigs and whatnot and how he was able to get them 20 and 10 games, and I was like, well, if I'm in that same position I can see what I can get in this side of the floor where I can pop, I can do this, this and that, he's going to give me the ball, because sometimes Tyrese, he wants to pass more than he wants to score. He knows how to get his shot off. He knows how to get to certain spots, but he wants to -- he wants to get his teammates involved and whatnot.

It was an easy transition for me. I sat back and watched a little bit, then once I got a chance to play with him my first time last season, it was just like a seamless fit.

He makes everybody around him better, and he's the best point guard in the East right now, so he's rolling.