Myles Turner has spent the first five games of the season creating a pretty stark split for the Milwaukee Bucks.
On one end, he’s been exactly what the Bucks wanted when they brought him in: a force around the rim, a shot-erasing presence, and one of the most disruptive defensive centers in the league. On the other, the offense has gone sideways fast, and that side of the story is starting to swallow the conversation.
The defensive work has been the headline-worthy part. Opponents are shooting 25-of-65, or 38.5 percent, when Turner is the primary defender, which puts him third among NBA centers who have defended at least 65 shots so far.
Only Anthony Davis and Victor Wembanyama are ahead of him. That’s elite territory.
Turner’s rim protection is showing up in the box score, too. He already has 13 blocks, with only Wembanyama sitting above him.
He also leads the NBA in clutch-time blocks with three. For a Bucks team without Giannis Antetokounmpo, that kind of backbone matters.
Turner has taken on the responsibility of anchoring the new-look defense, and he’s handled it well.
The offensive side has been a different story entirely. Turner is averaging just 6.6 points through those five games and shooting 35.1 percent from the field.
From deep, he’s at 18.2 percent. That scoring total puts him ninth on the roster, between rookies Brayden Burries and Nate Ament, which is a rough place for the second-highest-paid player on the team to land.
The jump shot has been the biggest problem. It was a major reason the Bucks were comfortable making the move that sent Damian Lillard away for Turner in the first place, but early results have been ugly. He’s 6-of-26, or 23.1 percent, on jumpers and just 4-of-16 on wide-open 3s.
The shots are there, and the looks are clean. Turner has made them throughout his career, and the Bucks still have table-setters like Tyler Herro, Ryan Rollins, and Kasparas Jakucionis to keep feeding him chances. If the jumper starts falling while the defense stays at this level, his value changes in a hurry.
That’s why the trade chatter doesn’t tell the whole story. There has been plenty of noise about the Bucks moving Turner as soon as they can, but his start has also shown exactly why they wanted him in the first place.
The offense has been rough. The defense has been excellent.
And right now, that defensive excellence deserves just as much attention as the missing points.
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Bucks Rough Start Is Putting Several Rotation Pieces On Notice
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Tyler Herros scoring has given him a clear market appeal if the Bucks decide to reshuffle, while Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis bring different kinds of trade value depending on what another team is looking for. Isaiah Stewart, meanwhile, is viewed as a tougher contract to move, which only adds to the complexity of Milwaukees choices as the front office weighs performance, salary and long-term direction. [Read more 🡒]