Manage to Improve as a Rebounder
A frequently criticized aspect of Turner’s game is defensive rebounding. It should not be simplified down to just one thing because that would overlook other factors and would yield lesser results. It is not all about needing to get stronger, it’s not all about needing to get better at box outs, and it is not all about being pulled away from rebounding positioning because of rim protection either.
The Pacers were not an adequate defensive rebounding team last season, so this should be a priority for the whole group to improve. To put it into perspective, they produced just a 76.2% defensive rebounding percentage (T-26th) during the 2017-18 season. There are a variety of layers to this problem but receiving progress from Myles could help them take a few steps forward, but it won’t ultimately get resolved because of any one player.
Myles averaged 9.9 defensive rebounding chances (T-24th) and just a 54.3% adjusted defensive rebounding chance percentage, which was the lowest of all players that ranked in the top 100 in average defensive rebounding chances. He also had a 39.8% contested defensive rebounding percentage last season, and that was also the highest among all players that ranked in the top 100 in average defensive rebounding chances.
Between those two defensive rebounding figures, it means that among the 100 players that averaged the most defensive rebounding chances last season, Myles had the highest percentage of his defensive rebounds come within a 3.5-foot vicinity of a defender but also comes up with the lowest percentage of rebounds when within 3.5 feet of a potential rebound. Being within the vicinity of a rebound as often as he was with the results that he has gotten so far shows potential for growth.
There were some great examples from the NBA playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers that summarize how Myles can improve as a defensive rebounder. There were times when his box outs didn’t prevent the opposition from coming up with the offensive rebound, he would get caught ball watching at times, he would lose shoving matches, and other times he did not get a box out early enough. These are the aspects that he can adjust for better results.
Myles received a lot of criticism for allowing offensive rebounds during the playoffs and it definitely is an area to improve. Some issues include sometimes not having enough force on box-outs, losing shoving matches to stronger players, and ball watching too much at times. pic.twitter.com/iPxj47WZMy
— Grant Afseth Videos (@GrantAfsethVids) July 19, 2018
The successful defensive rebounding sequences that Turner had last season serve as a good reference tool. Not every rebound is going to be a physical altercation. Sometimes it comes down to proper timing regarding when to run into a crowd, sticking with a play, being aware of the opposition’s positioning, and quite frankly, sometimes it comes down to simply being at the right place at the right time.
When you observe some of Turner’s regular defensive rebounds, there are some patterns that stick out. Sure, there are some boards that simply come with being at the right place at the right time, but there are some aspects that are important to do consistently. For example, getting an early box out positioning as opposed to having to engage in verticality goes a long way, but also paying close attention to where the opposition’s personnel is at is critical too.
Here are some regular defensive rebounds from Myles Turner during the 2017-18 regular season. While some boards come with being at the right place at the right time, paying close attention to where the opposition is at and getting early box out positioning when possible is key. pic.twitter.com/j075axqp94
— Grant Afseth Videos (@GrantAfsethVids) August 9, 2018
There are offensive rebounds that the Pacers give up that can be attributed to their leaky on-ball defense out on the perimeter and the need for their rim protector to have to overcompensate for the unit’s deficiencies. It probably didn’t help that he did defend an average of 7.7 field goal attempts within six feet of the rim last season and that was tied with Rudy Gobert for the second most in the NBA.
Another layer to the Pacers’ defensive rebounding situation is that you can often find their perimeter players not making much of an impact in sequences. Whether they are kind of just hanging out in space or not being assertive with their box outs, there are a good number of sequences that result in offensive rebounds that the blame should not be attributed to the team’s center. I will be expanding on this in a future article since this one is focused on Myles.
The other end of the spectrum is offensive rebounding. While the Pacers are certainly not elite at offensive rebounding, they are quite a bit better at rebounding on the offensive end than they are on the defensive end of the floor. For reference, they produced a 22.7% offensive rebounding percentage (T-12th) during the regular season last year. There is room for improvement from them as a unit and from Myles, though.
The good news is that Myles has already shown that he can do each of those tactics to be successful on the offensive boards. He is effective at putbacks when he does grab come up with offensive rebounds. For reference, he produced 1.217 points per possession on putbacks, and that ranked 23rd out of the 78 players with at least 50 possessions. The next step will be to ramp up his frequency and to make it a point to do this consistently
Myles Turner was effective on put backs as he produced 1.217 PPP on those plays, which ranked 23rd out of the 78 players with at least 50 possessions. The next step will be to ramp up his volume of offensive rebounds to create more opportunities for put backs. pic.twitter.com/MuDw2ySoz5
— Grant Afseth Videos (@GrantAfsethVids) July 15, 2018
The Pacers like to have their unit favor getting back on defense rather than to go to work for offensive boards in an attempt to prevent fast break points for the opposition. There are times when Turner, along with other players, are in “no man’s land” where they aren’t in a position to impact the transition sequence, and they also aren’t crashing the boards. Reducing these plays is important.
Favorable offensive rebounding opportunities present themselves over the course of a game. As an off-ball player, Myles should be aggressive at working the weak side, be aggressive against small ball units and switches, exploit defenders that are ball watching or aren’t being assertive, run the floor in transition, follow his shot, and just be ready to bang and be physical with the opposition in general.
Next Up: Elevate Defensive Impact to Elite Status
