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This is the first of a three-part series examining Myles Turner’s role with the Bucks ahead of the 2026-27 season. Over the coming days, we’ll consider whether Milwaukee should start, bench, or cut (okay, trade) their veteran centre.
It came as a bombshell. The buzz of a phone, the ding of a tweet. You couldn’t believe your eyes and so you refreshed the page, jumped to the next. Again and again until you knew it to be true.
Myles Turner was a Buck.
In the process, Damian Lillard had been waived and stretched as if on some medieval torture rack. But there was no pain. Not for you or me. Instead, a gentle breeze; a window reopened. And so we summoned the wind, inhaled as much as our lungs could take.
Euphoria.
Just six months later, any breath of wind had petered out. Despite a surprising opening run that had the Bucks sitting 5-2, including wins over the New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors, they soon fell into a stretch of .500 ball. Then our collective lungs collapsed—seven straight losses before a reprieve against the lowly (3-15) Brooklyn Nets to close out November. And by the time they lost by 45 freakin’ points to those same Brooklyn Nets less than two weeks later, a game in which Turner put up an all-too-familiar nine points, three rebounds, and one assist, finishing with a -21 plus/minus in 24 minutes of action, it was clearer than the nosebleed section of the Bradley Center in 2014: this was not the Myles Turner we’d signed up for.
Whether it was Doc Rivers’ deployment, his own inability to adapt, or some combination of the two, Turner’s first year in Milwaukee was rough, arguably his worst as a pro. In terms of expectation, there isn’t even a debate. In all, Turner finished the season with averages of 11.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.5 APG, and 1.6 BPG, shooting 44% from the field. Then he hacked the Brew Hoop database and snuck a C on his end-of-year report card (it’s the only possible explanation).
Now, just over one year removed from the hype of his signing, Turner’s status in Milwaukee is up in the air. Doc Rivers is long gone. Giannis is too. So are Bobby Portis and Taurean Prince and Gary Harris. And Turner, having just turned 30 in March, suddenly finds himself an elder statesman on a team full of youth, wondering where he fits in and what will become of him.
As it stands, there are three options.
Start: The reclamation project
For as poorly as he played last season with the Bucks, Turner is not a bad player. Far from it—he has a decade’s worth of quality NBA play behind him. And while he may no longer fit the Bucks’ timeline, he can still help a team win. This—and what it can offer the Bucks down the road—is the rationale to start him.
In his 11-year career, Turner has been to the playoffs seven times. That doesn’t happen by accident, not when you’re one of the team’s core players. In fact, Turner has started 63 of a possible 66 postseason games, including all 40 of the Indiana Pacers’ games as they made the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals and then the 2025 NBA Finals. Bottom line: Turner knows how to win as a starter, and for a Bucks team that is full of youth and has no reason to tank, that’s invaluable.
But Turner’s value as a potential starter doesn’t stop there. At his best, he’s a borderline All-Star (or at least a superstar role player) who’s also among the rarest of players in the league—a 3-and-D centre. Despite his down year, Turner hit a near career-high 2.1 three-pointers per game (and did so on 38%), while also finishing eighth in the league in total blocks (115) and 11th in blocks per game (1.6). This versatility remains at a premium in today’s NBA and can help maximise the play of those around him. Think newly acquired—and projected starters—Tyler Herro and Jaime Jaquez Jr. wouldn’t benefit from additional territory in which to create? For as good as Bam Adebayo is, he doesn’t offer the offensive spacing Turner does, so there’s reason to believe Turner helps elevate their play, especially Jaquez’s, who we know loves to operate in the paint.
In the process—and arguably more importantly—starting Turner is the best avenue to increasing his trade value. While fans were eager to move off Turner as early as late last season, and certainly throughout the offseason after acquiring Kel’el Ware, doing so would break the cardinal rule of trading: don’t sell stock when it’s at its lowest. Saving this for February’s trade deadline, after Turner has re-established who he is—and teams are looking for an impact acquisition to “put them over the top” as they head into the playoffs—is the shrewd move, enabling the Bucks to maximise their return. If Turner helps raise the play and value of Herro and Jaquez while doing so, even better.
Now, if only he could win a tip-off…
What say you about a Myles Turner-as-starter redemption tour? Share your thoughts in the comments and stay tuned for Part II: Bench, coming tomorrow.
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