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Myles Turner: So, it’ll be a very interesting offseason. I don’t have any idea what’s going to happen. These exit meetings are going to be interesting. I literally have no idea the direction of our team — even if Doc will be here next year, if Giannis will be here next year, what our ownership is doing. So, I’m literally just kind of floating right now.”
Myles Turner: “Listen, man, I don’t know who Shams’ source was. I’ll come out and say it right now: I was not the snitch. I was not the mole. I don’t know who was, but a lot of stuff in that ESPN article came out very accurate. I think someone had to have had a tape recording at this point, because a lot of what was said was actually to a T. Yeah, we had a really rough game in Chicago. We had like a 20-point lead and pissed it away in the fourth quarter, which is a really bad point in the season for us. We were in a very must-win mode, and we had a game against Boston the next day. Doc kind of came in and was like, ‘Listen, I heard y’all been talking shit, so let me talk my shit too. I’ve taken teams that are less talented than this to the playoffs,’ and whatnot. He basically said, ‘I thought this was the team to do that.’
Myles Turner: So, I think it was a way of trying to fire us up, but in a room full of ego, he kind of came with the whole ‘Google me’ thing, and I don’t think it went over as well as he might have thought it would. And again, it was a little unoriginal too, because the guy from Indiana, the coach, had just done that. It was a cringe moment for everybody at that time, because we were all kind of looking around like, ‘All right, guys. Well, I guess let’s go beat Boston now.’ You know what I mean? It was tough.”
Turner’s first season in Milwaukee, however, did not go that way. Injuries limited Antetokounmpo to 36 games on the season, the fewest he’s played in a season, and the Bucks missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Individually, Turner averaged 11.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 26.9 minutes. Those averages were Turner’s lowest since his rookie season. The rebound average was the lowest of his career. Turner also took just 9.1 shots per game, which was the lowest since his rookie season.
“It was definitely a rude awakening,” Turner said in an interview with The Athletic and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel before the end of the regular season. “It was difficult throughout the year, obviously, with all the injuries and whatnot. But one thing I was really encouraged by was, honestly, the spirit of all of the guys, man. “I feel like, especially on the players’ side, guys had the right approach, and that’s made it more easy to go about the days for myself. It’s obviously been a rough adjustment, but I think that kind of just comes with anything new.”
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While slightly chaotic and untraditional, Indiana was consistent and came into every game with a clear plan. With injuries disrupting this season from the very first game, the Bucks never found that consistency. That had a significant impact on Milwaukee’s biggest free-agent addition. “I know myself, as a player, I’ve always been a guy that thrives in situations where I know I can impact winning,” Turner said. “A lot of that comes in, some people call it rim protection, some people call it floor spacing. To me, they’re systematic things. … I think we were more in an experimental year than just a firm system.”
With the Bucks’ best playmakers missing large portions of the season with injuries, Turner never found his place on the offensive end. “It was never a steady dose of one thing,” Turner said. “I think that consistency, that continuity, is what I’ve had in the past, and that obviously made it a lot easier when I was there. But when you come into a new year, in this league, you have to adjust. “I’m not really in the business of making excuses. I’ve never been a fan of that. You can try to blame your circumstances. You can try to blame the people around you. But at the end of the day, players are the ones that have to go out there and get it done.”
Rich Rovito: #Bucks injury report for Sunday's season finale against the #76ers in Philadelphia. OUT: Giannis Antetokounmpo (left knee hyperextension; bone bruise), Kyle Kuzma (right Achilles), Kevin Porter Jr. (right knee surgery), Bobby Portis Jr. (left wrist), Ryan Rollins (right thumb), Gary Trent Jr. (oblique strain), Myles Turner (left ankle sprain) Questionable: Gary Harris (right groin tightness), Pete Nance (right knee sprain)
Eric Nehm: Bucks injury report for Tuesday in Brooklyn: Out: G. Antetokounmpo (L Knee Hyperextension; Bone Bruise) Kuzma (R Achilles Tendonopathy) Porter Jr. (R Knee Synovitis) Portis Jr. (L Wrist Sprain) Rollins (R Hip Strain) Trent Jr. (L Hip Pointer) Turner (L Ankle Sprain)
Eric Nehm: FINAL: Bucks 131, Grizzlies 115 - Rollins 24pts/4reb/3ast - Ryan 21pts/4reb/3ast - Turner 19pts/11reb - Prince 19pts/3reb/3ast - Dieng 17pts/9reb/6ast - Sims 12pts/4reb/3ast The Bucks are now 31-47 on the season. They play next in Brooklyn on Tuesday.
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Eric Nehm: FINAL: Bucks 123, Mavericks 99 - Rollins 24pts/7reb/9ast - Kuzma 20pts/6reb/3ast - Green 17pts/6reb/2ast - Trent 13pts/3reb - Dieng 11pts/10reb/5ast - Nance 11pts/6reb/3ast - Turner 10pts/8reb/2ast The Bucks are now 30-45 on the season. They play tomorrow night in Houston.
Eric Nehm: FINAL: Spurs 127, Bucks 95 - Trent 18pts/2ast - Turner 15pts/6reb - Dieng 12pts/6reb/5ast - Rollins 12pts/4ast - Jackson 11pts - Sims 10pts/10reb The Bucks are now 29-44 and they have been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention this season.
