NBA Week 22 Rewind: 73 wins looks likely for Warriors now
By Tom West
Weekly Rookie Watch
Myles Turner is such an easy rookie to be a fan of, yet such an easy one to overlook. With Kristaps Porzingis and especially Karl-Anthony Towns entering the NBA this season, Turner has been lost in the crowd of talented big men after he missed six weeks through November and December. It wrongfully caused him to fly under the radar, and now he’s playing in a manner that Pacers fans will be grateful for when they look to his future.
From his defense at the rim to his improving post-up game and smooth mid-range jumper, Turner has all the typical foundations of a center built for today’s NBA, even if he’s no Karl-Anthony Towns. And with 13.3 points, nine rebounds, one steal and 2.3 blocks per game with 54.5 percent shooting last week, Turner kept showing Pacers fans what they wanted to see.
The highlight of his week came with 24 points and 16 rebounds in a 92-84 win against the Pelicans, as he attempted 17 shots for just the fifth time in his young career while making 11 of them. It was a low energy effort by the rest of his team, leaving Turner to pick up the pieces as his teammates failed to rebound (no one else had more than four), Paul George played less than 20 minutes and Monta Ellis shot 3-of-12.
What Turner proved, though, is that he can carry that burden, hustling on the boards, protecting the rim (he tallied three blocks), and serving as a go-to option on offense — in the post and from mid-range — already.
Kristaps Porzingis hadn’t recorded a double-double since February 7 until last week. Some nights with reduced playing time and possibly the damage to your soul that playing with the Knicks held him back, reducing the amount of Porzin-God mania that had been sweeping the internet that only paled in comparison to the rare rookie greatness of KAT.
Last week, Porzingis had a few more respectable performances with a 29-point, 10-rebound game in a 115-107 win against the Chicago Bulls to add some more emphasis to a relatively calm few weeks. His jumper is always growing in confidence and quickness, giving him more and more points from the perimeter to add to his signature put-backs. He’s even made eight threes in just the last five games, helping him tally two 19-point performances after scoring 29 against the Bulls.
To put his rare skill set into context, ranging from blocks to burying threes at 7’3″, Porzingis has now become the only rookie in NBA history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 75 threes and 100 blocks in a season. And to make that even more impressive, he’s still got 11 games left to go.
Next: Under-the-radar Players to Watch Next Week