Pacers' Turner aiming to average '15 to 20 points' next season

After getting bounced by the Toronto Raptors in the first round of last year's playoffs, Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird has worked hard to improve his ball club through a series of trades and free agent signings.

And while several of these moves will likely have a considerable impact on next season's record, the biggest boost may come from the growth of second-year player Myles Turner.

Brimming with confidence, Turner is anticipating a breakout season after shining down the stretch and is more than ready for an increased workload in new coach Nate McMillan's offense.

"Individually, I feel like I can put up big numbers for this team and help in any way necessary," Turner told Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. "I’d like to see myself put up 15 to 20 points per game. That may seem like a long shot, but I feel like I’m very capable."

After struggling with injuries during the first half of his rookie campaign, Turner became a valuable part of the Pacers' rotation following the All-Star break last year, averaging 10.6 points and 5.5 rebounds on 46.8 percent shooting.

Not only is Turner expecting a big season from himself, he's also predicting an improved year from his Pacers, going as far as to label them a title contender.

"We want to go make a deep playoff run," Turner added. "And obviously, we’re all chasing rings and that’s a big goal of mine. I don’t see why we can’t do it next year. I know that ‘sounds good’ and anybody can just say that, but I’m a very confident player and with that confidence comes ambition."

While Indiana is likely a few years away from contending, Turner looks more than ready to make the leap now, and is will likely be one of the many candidates for the Most Improved Player award entering 2016-17.