NBA: 7 under-appreciated players whose impact goes beyond the box score

6. Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers

Current stats: 12.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 0.5 spg, 2.8 bpg

When you see a big guy averaging 13 and 7 in the NBA, what’s the first word that comes to mind?

Average.

Especially for a guy who many people believed would be contending for an all-star spot in his fourth season.

Myles Turner appears to have it all. Size. Athleticism. A beautiful touch for a big guy. Range on his shot and a wide array of moves down low. But so far this year, he has shown a lack of aggressiveness, inconsistency from the perimeter and poor rebounding skills. However, while he may have not yet put everything together, box score wise, he has been special as a rim protector and defensive presence in the lane. In fact, he has been a big part of the Indiana Pacers‘ somewhat surprising run as they currently sit at 31-15 on the year.

And in terms of his offence (and stats), it seems to be trending in the right direction over the last few weeks. Let’s hope he can continue to develop and begin getting more recognition as one of the up-and-coming bigs in the Eastern Conference.