Nate Taylor

nate.taylor@indystar.com

Celtics at Pacers, 7 p.m. Thursday, FSI

INDIANAPOLIS — Nate McMillan first noticed Myles Turner’s improved jump shot in August.

The setting was inside a mostly empty Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The remodeled Pacers began getting acquainted with one another.

McMillan watched several of his players’ in pickup games during that time to see how his players interacted and certain aspects of their skill sets. The Pacers coach became fascinated with Turner’s shooting, how his 6-11 center kept drifting further from the basket, from his usual midrange spot to surprising his teammates with improved confidence behind the 3-point line.

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“He has the ability to shoot it,” McMillan said this past week of Turner’s perimeter shooting. “He really worked on that shot this offseason. In August and September, he was taking that shot and knocking that shot down. To start the season, we really didn’t want him drifting out there too much.”

The rest of the NBA didn’t expect Turner to be looking to unleash more 3-pointers either. Yet in the Pacers’ season-opening win over the Dallas Mavericks, the game’s biggest shot was Turner swishing a 3-pointer in overtime.

Since then, Turner, an emerging 20-year-old, has added long-distance shooting to his already impressive offensive arsenal. He has shot more 3-pointers in each passing month, and is making them at a more successful rate. Entering Thursday’s game against the Boston Celtics, Turner has shot 38.3 percent from behind the arc. Turner’s 12 made 3s in December are nine more than he made last season as a rookie in 60 games.

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Remember when team president Larry Bird said Turner could be the best shooter on the Pacers before the rookie had ever played in an NBA game? Well, much like every other expectation placed upon Turner, he has performed and improved at a faster rate than anyone in the NBA could have expected.

By becoming a viable scoring threat from the perimeter, Turner has become the fourth shooting option for McMillan behind Paul George, C.J. Miles and Thaddeus Young.

“He’s getting open looks,” George said of Turner. “Teams haven’t locked into that or I guess they don’t know he can shoot the ball. Myles can really shoot the ball. We’re playing bigs that aren't used to covering a stretch-five. A lot of times they’re still in the paint and he’s getting good looks.”

The Pacers’ most recent games prove George’s theory.

In Tuesday’s loss to the New York Knicks, Turner was able to expose Joakim Noah’s lack of speed by sprinting behind the arc after setting screens in the midrange area. Turner made two of his four 3s against the Knicks. He swished four 3-pointers in the win over the Charlotte Hornets. He made three of his four attempts in the victory over the Phoenix Suns.

“I’m not surprising myself,” Turner said Tuesday of shooting more 3s. “So, either people are going to get out there or they’re not.”

A year ago, former coach Frank Vogel banned Turner from shooting 3-pointers even though he knew his eager rookie could occasionally make the shot. Turner’s first career 3-pointer came Feb. 19 against Oklahoma City when the Pacers absolutely needed him to shoot. In the final minute of a close game, Turner swished a corner 3 to help the Pacers rally for a victory.

“I’m very confident in my shot and my shooting abilities,” Turner said then. “I always have been.”

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Ten months later, McMillan has given Turner the freedom to shoot when he’s open on the perimeter.

“It can be a big part of the offense going forward, however coach wants to use it,” Turner said Tuesday. “I’m just taking things slow, one step at a time and just learning. I think I’ve just improved. I worked hard in the summer to get to this point. I think it’s just a testament to the game slowing down and the hard work I’ve put in.”

McMillan’s next goal for Turner is to have his second-year player learn when to balance his long-distance shooting with the rest of his responsibilities. Don’t get 3-point happy just yet, McMillan tells Turner. But McMillan, as the rest of the NBA is learning, understands the Pacers need to continue to look to give Turner the ball when he’s open behind the arc.

“He has to learn to play both inside and out," McMillan said. "We don’t want him to be basically just a pick-and-pop guy. He has the ability to put the ball on the floor, roll to the basket and make decisions. When he really gets that part of his game, where he’s reading what the defense is giving him and he’s taking advantage of that, as opposed to just being a perimeter guy, he’s really going to be a huge threat for us.”

Call IndyStar reporter Nate Taylor at (317) 444-6484. Follow him on Twitter:@ByNateTaylor.

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BOSTON (16-12) at INDIANA (15-15)

Tipoff: 7 p.m. Thursday, Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

TV: Fox Sports Indiana.

Radio: WFNI-AM (1070), -FM (93.5).

Storylines:

>> Boston’s Isaiah Thomas continues to be one of the most dazzling point guards in the NBA. Thomas erupted Tuesday for a career-high 44 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the floor in an overtime win over the Memphis Grizzlies. He also went 17-of-17 from the free-throw line. That's the most points by a Celtic since Paul Pierce scored 50 points in 2006, and it’s the most free throws made without a miss in the franchise’s history.

>> Rodney Stuckey could miss his fifth consecutive game Thursday with a sore left hamstring. Stuckey did travel with the Pacers to New York for Tuesday’s game, but coach Nate McMillan said he was unsure when Stuckey would return to the lineup. Monta Ellis, who has a right groin injury, is expected to miss today's game.

>> Sure, the Pacers are 15-15, but ESPN’s statistics department still gives Indiana a decent chance of making the playoffs in a jumbled Eastern Conference. Although ESPN’s BPI projects the Pacers to win just 39 games this season, they predict the Pacers still have a 47 percent chance to returning to the postseason.

PREDICTION: The Pacers, when Paul George is uniform, perform well against the Boston Celtics. Indiana won three of the four games last season, and the Pacers should be motivated to play better after their loss in New York. The Pacers are also 11-4 at home, which is the second best home record in the Eastern Conference. Pacers 110, Celtics 102.

– Nate Taylor