Lakers Nation Draft Prospect Watch: Myles Turner

Name: Myles Turner
Position: Center
School: Texas
Height: 6’11”
Weight: 243 pounds
Wingspan: 7’4″
Current Prospect Rank: No. 4 (NBADraft.net), No. 8 (Chad Ford), No. 12 (DraftExpress)
Projected Draft Position: Top-10
Player Comparison: Greg Monroe
Feature Game: Saturday, January 17 vs. #16 West Virginia Mountaineers

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Strengths:

Myles Turner is a lengthy center out of Bedford, Texas who competes on both ends of the floor. A well-rounded athlete, Turner is capable of affecting the game in a number of ways.

Turner has the shooting touch to convert on mid-to-long range shots as well as finish around the rim. He hasn’t been putting up outrageous numbers so far this season, but he has shot well, converting 49 percent of his shots, 46 percent from three-point range and 87 percent from the stripe.

Turner is a solid rebounder, who works hard on the glass. He does a good job of boxing out at both ends equally and high-pointing the ball, and has the length to reach over smaller players. He currently averages 6.9 rebounds a game with the Texas Longhorns.

Defensively he shines down low, defending the rim extremely well. During five games Turner played for the USA U18 National Team in 2014, he averaged 3.6 blocks per game while winning a gold medal. Turner has gone on to average 2.8 blocks in 16 games so far in his freshman season for the Longhorns.

Weaknesses:

Although he is big and has the shooting touch of a guard, Turner has limitations to his game. He will have to get stronger to compete with bigs his size, round out his offensive arsenal in the post and adjust to playing at the speed at which more athletic players move.

Turner passes the eye test, but is not extremely athletic. He relies on his length to get around the fact that he doesn’t posses a great leaping ability when rebounding, dunking or blocking shots. At times, Turner can also look a bit awkward getting down the court with short, choppy, footsteps.

In the post, Turner still needs to develop the footwork to score or assist consistently. He is a good shooter, but can struggle to get position and retain it for the entry pass. Turner also lacks go-to moves in the post.

Fit With Lakers:

The Los Angeles Lakers have their power forward of the future in Julius Randle. Matching him with a center who compliments his game would be ideal and Turner could very well be that guy.

Turner can come in and give the Lakers a good inside-out punch offensively if paired with Randle. The team can benefit from having Turner and his 7’4″ wingspan protecting the paint and crashing the boards, but will need to see consistency in his play to pull the trigger.

The Longhorns are going to be hosting the #16 West Virginia Mountaineers this Saturday. Turner has shuffled between starting and coming off the bench for the Longhorns who have lost two straight games.

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