The Pacers players voted Thad Young and Myles Turner as team captains for the 2017-18 season.
The vote came over the last week ahead of opening night. It was up to the players to cast their vote for who was most deserving.
“That’s all about your team watching you,” said Nate McMillan, who was voted captain during his rookie season in Seattle (1986).
“And they’ve watched him throughout the summer. He was one of the guys that was in here all summer long. He was here in August and September when guys came in here to run. His voice has been heard throughout these last two, three months with all of the new guys that have come in. They’ve seen him take that leadership role.”
Young is the Pacers’ starting power forward who has a quiet confidence about him. He’s entering his 12th season with his fourth different team, which lends much-needed perspective to a locker room that got younger.
Turner, meanwhile, has taken over as team spokesman in the locker room. One of six players back from last year’s team and the longest-tenured player on the roster, Turner speaks most often with the media and oozes in confidence and belief in this team.
“To have a team of guys that entrusts me in that role and sees my play and play stature fit of a leader, it gives me the confidence to know that my team’s behind me,” he said. “It’s not like I didn’t know that before, but I guess given that notion, it just builds me up a lot more to know that night in and night out and play with a heightened sense of urgency.”
He’s the one who grabbed the microphone at Pacers FanJam. He’s the one who provided outfits for the rookies to dance in for the rookie show. He is lively, but can have a serious tone when necessary.
“I think the talk of this whole camp is that everybody came out here with the right mindset,” said Turner. “It showed pretty much thorough our play that we’re confident group and I think we can (shock some people) this year.
“I like how positive everyone is. I like the spirit, I like the fact that everyone is picking each other up.”
What coach McMillan believes Pacers fans will see this season:
“I hope they see an exciting brand of basketball and a lot of energy out there. We hope that [their play] will be something that they can be proud of and look forward to supporting. I think we have a team that plays with a lot of energy, that will scrap, and play a faster style of basketball. We want to be a group that gets after it defensively … and then get out and show our speed.”