NBA DPOY Power Rankings: It’s Rudy Gobert, then everyone else

NBA DPOY Power Rankings, No. 4: Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers 

Myles Turner is the NBA block King, averaging 3.4 blocks per game and scaring off score is driving to the basket. Turner also has the best Rim Defense in the NBA at a -14.2% FG; meaning if a player shoots 55 percent from the field against an average defender, that same player shoots 41 percent when Myles Turner is guarding him. He’s a big man who with long arms and athleticism that makes in a score think twice about attacking the rim.

Turner has great defensive skills, but in years past hasn’t had much of an impact when he’s on and off the floor. That’s not the case this year – while Indiana is only league-average with defense at a 109.4 rating when Turner is on the floor, they are an unnerving 116.2 when Turner is off the floor. Turner is vital to everything the Pacers do on the defensive end.

However, defense is more than just stuffing your stats with blocks. The reason his block rate is so high, besides the fact he’s a great player, is because he is generally out hunting for blocks that generally get him out of position. This of course leads to a vulnerability of giving up offensive rebounds and allowing possessions to extend. For such an athletic center, Turner only averages 6.7 rebounds per game, with a lot of this is attributed to leaving  the basket trying to get weak-side blocks.

If you look at just stats, Turner should be near the top of this Defensive Player of the Year list. But his low rebound rate and the fact that Indiana’s defense is only 13th in the League makes it hard to justify ranking him above the three other guys on this list.