In a mirrored image on his draft evening, Pacers heart Myles Turner recalled the second when he anticipated to be the No. 5 choose by the Magic within the 2015 NBA Draft, solely to listen to Orlando choose Mario Hezonja as an alternative.
Turner’s journey within the NBA took an sudden flip that evening, and he not too long ago shared his ideas on the way it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Turner, now 27 years previous, had excessive hopes of being chosen by the Magic with the fifth total choose. His agent had conveyed the optimistic suggestions he obtained from the Magic, main Turner to consider he was headed to Orlando. Nevertheless, the draft evening took an sudden twist.
“I assumed I used to be going quantity 5 to Orlando. My agent mentioned ‘We’re going quantity 5 to Orlando, that is it, you had an excellent exercise there, they’re enthusiastic about you.’ I used to be ‘All proper, cool.’ I’m on the desk within the greenroom… ‘With the quantity 5 choose, the Orlando Magic choose Mario Hezonja.’ I’m like, ‘Who the f*ck is that this?’” Turner mentioned on Run Your Race podcast.
Hezonja, a European prospect comparatively unknown to Turner on the time, turned the Magic’s selection. Turner admitted his preliminary frustration, saying, “I’m form of pissed as a result of, you understand how they try this, they bring about in some European prospects who we actually don’t learn about… And I’ve seen the highlights, ‘All proper, he can fly a little bit bit, he can dunk, he can shoot a little bit.’ I used to be like ‘All proper, he’s fairly good.’ I’m nonetheless pissed, clearly.”
Regardless of the preliminary disappointment, Turner’s draft journey took a unique path as he dropped to the eleventh choose, finally touchdown with the Pacers. In hindsight, he views this as a blessing, emphasizing the importance of the workforce and town.
“Blessing in disguise. I didn’t have to go quantity 10 to Miami. I didn’t have to be 18-19 years-old in Miami… That’s a troublesome place. I perceive they’ve a tradition there,” he mentioned.
“However there’s one other factor individuals don’t notice – once we get drafted, we’re children making an attempt to get right into a grown man’s enterprise. A few of these cities you go to make or break your profession. It was one of the best factor for me to go to a blue-collar metropolis and simply grind it out.”
Hezonja, the participant chosen forward of Turner by the Magic, spent 5 years within the NBA earlier than returning to Europe in 2021. He has been enjoying for Actual Madrid since 2022 and gained EuroLeague title final season.
