Basketball for Turkoglu is all good now.
In his eighth NBA season, Turkoglu suddenly has become a semi-star, the complete player who has been lying dormant for so many years, easily having the finest run of his basketball career.
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He is averaging career bests in points (19.5 ppg), rebounds (6.2), assists (4.1), steals (1.1) and minutes played (38.1), benefiting more than anyone from the addition of first-year Coach Stan Van Gundy.
It was Van Gundy, a long-time admirer of Turkoglu, who called him this summer shortly after taking the Magic job, telling him that his days of coasting through games was over. And it was Van Gundy who addressed Turkoglu in front of the entire team in preseason and cited him as an underachiever.
"I never coached him in the past, but I've always looked at him as an extremely talented player with size and skills that cause big problems for opponents," Van Gundy said. "All we've done is given him an opportunity to use those skills."
With Sacramento, San Antonio and Orlando, Turkoglu never averaged more than 14.9 points. Until this season, he was used mostly as an outside shooter, serving as a second, third or fourth option on most offensive plays. Van Gundy has utilized his size (6 feet 10) and ball-handling skills like no one else ever has.
This season he has the ball more than ever, often with the game on the line, creating shots for himself and for others. When the Magic don't dump the ball into center Dwight Howard, it usually is going to Turkoglu.
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"Before I was always a role guy. Now I'm a main guy," Turkoglu said. "I've just never been in this kind of situation before. It's new for me, but I like it."
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"More is expected of me now," he said. "I have more responsibility than I ever had before. It gives me confidence. And that's all good for me."
