Brrr, that’s cold.
Otherwise, his player efficiency rating (PER) seems trapped at around 12 (league average is 15.0) and his win shares per 48 minutes (WS/48), nERD, and plus-minus ratings have all plummeted. At 25 years of age and in his supposed prime, here’s where Turner ranked among the 69 players that played a minimum of 2400 minutes last season in the aforementioned categories.
| Season | eFG% | TS% | PER | WS / 48 | nERD | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | 45.0% | 49.8% | 12.4 | 0.027 | -7.8 | -378 |
| Rank/69 | 62 | 65 | 69 | 66 | 66 | 63 |
The one positive to take away from this signing is that maybe a change of scenery will be good for Turner. As part of a rebuilding Boston franchise, he’ll no longer have the pressure of carrying a team like he did in Philly, nor to play an important role for a contender like he did in Indy. Considering the fact that he's joining a crowded wing rotation that already includes promising youngsters like Avery Bradley (also selected after Turner in the 2010 draft), Marcus Smart, and James Young and vets Jeff Green and Marcus Thornton, whatever the Celtics get out of him will likely be a bonus.
With the pressure ostensibly off, maybe Turner can magically emerge and come closer to living up to the hype that once surrounded him. At the very least, he'll have another shot at shaking the “bust†title and being a punch line a little less often.