Indiana Pacers: Myles Turner works out with Rick Carlisle in Texas
Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner shares an offseason workout video of him training in Texas with head coach Rick Carlisle ahead of 2022 season
As we head into September, the Indiana Pacers preseason is approaching fast. Their first game will be on Oct. 5th against the Charlotte Hornets. Luckily for the Pacers, several players are getting extra on-court repetitions as they play for varying international teams.
Myles Turner practices with Rick Carlisle and the Indiana Pacers gear up for 2022-23
Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner shares an offseason workout video of him training in Texas with a notable trainer. Head coach Rick Carlisle joined him to work on several drills throughout the training session.
Turner is entering the 2022-23 NBA season with just one year left on his Pacers deal that he signed back in 2018. It was a four-year deal worth $80M. Indiana attempted to upgrade at the position he plays when they offered Deandre Ayton a four-year max deal, but as we know, that fell through. Turner has been open about not letting trade talks bother him anymore, but this was a new type of off-season exchange.
"It was reported by multiple outlets to be a four-year, $133 million deal, which was the offer sheet he signed with the Indiana Pacers that Phoenix quickly matched", per NBA.com.
While the Indiana Pacers value Turner, they valued someone else more and offered the cash to back it up. Seeing Carlisle in the gym with Turner is not a shock, as Carlisle even stepped in to help coach at Turner’s youth camp last month. It is hard to gauge where Turner stands in his relationship with Indiana.
For now, Turner will be this team's starting center and will become an unrestricted free agent after the season concludes. You have to imagine Turner would like to explore the market for himself before signing an extension if he isn't dealt before the season ends. Turner averaged 12.8 points a game, seven rebounds, and 2.8 blocks in the 42 games he played during the 2021-22 NBA season.
Tyrese Haliburton was working out this offseason with a familiar face for Indiana basketball fans this afternoon, or at least that is when the video was posted. Victor Oladipo was alongside Haliburton and others for an offseason training session with Drew Hanlen, who shared the video on his Instagram.
Hanlen has worked with Haliburton frequently, as well as other players such as Tyler Herro the same day, where he trained the duo of Oladipo and Haliburton. This video was posted this week to Hanlen’s Instagram story, but a source there said this video was taken a few weeks prior.
It is neat to see two of what was and are faces of Indiana basketball working out together. While Oladipo is training to prove he is capable of his former All-Star caliber play, Haliburton is preparing to prove he can be an All-Star caliber player.
A handful of Pacers made their way back to the court early as they play for varying national teams. Buddy Hield, Chris Duarte, and Goga Bitadze were among those who returned.
Buddy Hield scored 19 points, six rebounds, and three assists vs Venezuela this week. Hield has been more active this offseason playing for the Bahamas national team, who will now be joined by Deandre Ayton, who nearly wore the blue and gold this upcoming season.
Chris Duarte had 11 points, three rebounds, and three assists vs Panama, a game he didn’t shoot particularly well. Duarte shot three of twelve from the field, but his team won with a final score of 70-61. In the weeks prior, the shooting struggles were not there. Duarte notched 29 points in a warm-up match in early August.
Bitadze scored eight points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals in his 23 minutes of play.
Goga Bitadze will likely move around the depth chart this season. With the departure of Domantas Sabonis and the emergence of Isaiah Jackson, the path for Goga is still muddy. Bitadze is on the last year of his deal after averaging 7.0 points and 3.5 rebounds last season (both career highs).
Goga has intriguing traits on the floor, but health and role availability has hindered his on-court presence. Goga was the 18th pick in the 2019 NBA draft and is in the process of proving he belongs in the league. Still, Bitadze remains a fine depth center for this younger Indiana Pacers squad.