TURNER IMPRESSES RIGHT OUT OF GATE
Welcome to a new feature this season, the “NBA A to Z Diaries,” where we take you around the league for insight and analysis. Here, USA TODAY Sports’ Sam Amick takes a look at who should be at the top of MVP votes after two days are in the books.
MYLES TURNER FOR MVP?
It’s early, which means we reserve the right to have a little fun with overreactions. But still, raise your hand if you had the Pacers’ Myles Turner on the MVP short list after one game. Oh, stop it. No one did.
The 20- year- old center turned in a 30- point, 16- rebound, four- blocked shot outing in an overtime win against the Mavericks that makes you wonder how dangerous these Pacers can become in the Cavaliers and everyone else Eastern Conference.
Now it’s not as if this suddenly will become Turner’s new norm. The second coming of Shaq, he is not.
But with Jeff Teague now running point and Monta Ellis on the wings with the Pacers’ actual MVP candidate, Paul George, Turner ( 6- 11, 243 pounds, drafted 11th by the Pacers out of Texas in 2015) looks capable of being the kind of presence down low that new coach Nate McMillan needs to take them to the next level. That said, let’s not get carried away with expectations: Turner scored 30+ points once in his rookie season and averaged 13.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks as a rookie in games in which he played 30 or more minutes ( 16 in all).
YOU THE REAL MVP …
No, Kevin Durant isn’t in the mix just yet after the Warriors flopped against the Spurs in their highly anticipated debut. Even if he was the one who made the above saying famous while discussing his beloved mother during his 2014 MVP speech in Edmond, Okla. But man alive did all sorts of other stars start strong.
As I wrote last week in the early look at MVP, this race is going to be wide open. And, we’re off: Nine players scored 30+ points in their season openers, with the Pelicans’ Anthony Davis topping the list ( 50 points with 16 rebounds, seven steals, five assists and four blocks in a loss to the Nuggets ( speaking of stars who need more help …). Considering back- to- back MVP Ste
phen Curry of the Warriors was the only player to average 30+ points last season ( 30.1), this was quite the outlier. And that was before four teams had played a game ( the Clippers, Bulls, Hawks and Wizards opened Thursday).
THE REST OF THE 30+ LIST …
The Raptors’ DeMar DeRozan ( 40 points on 17- for- 27 shooting in a win vs. the Pistons, two shy of his career high).
The Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard ( 39 points on 13- for- 20 shooting overall, 4- for- 6 from three- point range to go with nine rebounds and six assists in a win vs. the Jazz).
The Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard, who was second in MVP voting behind Curry last season and has won the last two defensive player of the year awards ( 35 points on 10- for- 21 shooting, five rebounds, five steals and three assists in the rout of the Warriors).
The Rockets’ James Harden, the NBA players association Players Choice MVP two seasons ago who missed out on the All- NBA team in 2015- 16 and is running the point under new coach Mike D’Antoni ( 34 points, 17 assists, eight rebounds and seven turnovers in a loss to the Lakers).
The Thunder’s Russell Westbrook, whose revenge tour in the postDurant era started just like you thought it would ( 32 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in a win against the 76ers.
Raptors big man Jonas Valanciunas ( 32 points on 10- for- 15 shooting, 11 rebounds in the win).
The Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is now Milwaukee’s primary ballhandler under coach Jason Kidd and who signed a four- year, $ 100 million extension last month ( 31 points on 13- for- 21 shooting, nine rebounds and five assists in a loss to the Hornets).
The aforementioned Turner.