NBA Notes: Bucks, Myles Turner, Bulls, Jalen Smith, Pistons

Bucks

After spending his first 10 NBA seasons in Indiana, the adjustment period hasn’t been seamless for Myles Turner in Milwaukee.

Turner’s numbers are down across the board in his first year with the Bucks, but he told Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he’s embracing the discomfort that comes with the transition.

“I’ve been comfortable the past three, four years,” Turner said. “I think true growth happens in uncomfortable moments. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy making a change like that, so just embracing the uncomfortable part of the role right now.”

Bulls

The impact is hard to ignore.

According to Spencer Davies of RG.org, the Bulls are 0-7 in games missed by Jalen Smith this season. When Smith plays, Chicago is 17-13.

Smith owns a plus-3.5 net rating, the best on the roster, and his versatility has mattered.

“I think he’s been really, really good for us,” coach Billy Donovan said, via Davies. “He doesn’t mind playing the center spot and power forward spot. He just wants to go out there and play.”

That flexibility has stabilized Chicago’s frontcourt more than the raw numbers might suggest.

Pistons

With a 28-9 record and a four-game cushion atop the Eastern Conference standings, the Pistons don’t have much incentive to shake things up.

Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press writes that continuity likely outweighs the appeal of a major deadline move. Detroit has built momentum, and there’s little urgency to disrupt it.

That doesn’t mean inactivity. Sankofa notes the Pistons still hold a $14 million traded player exception, which could be used to add a rotation piece without sacrificing core assets.

Potential targets floated include Sam Hauser, Bobby Portis, Georges Niang, and even Zaccharie Risacher.

Detroit doesn’t need to rush. That, in itself, is a new position for the Pistons.