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Pacers coach Nate McMillan said Monday that Myles Turner, not Jefferson, would open the season as the starting center.
As the incumbent starter at center, Turner was always viewed as the favorite to open the year on the top unit at that position in 2016-17, despite the Pacers' decision to change coaches during the offseason. Though Turner will miss the start of training camp while he recovers from a concussion, it's expected that he'll be fully recovered by the time preseason play begins, leaving little opening for Jefferson to make his case for a starting role. Jefferson came off the bench for much of last season with the Hornets and averaged 12.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.9 blocks in 23.3 minutes per game, which would seem to be a decent expectation for his production during the upcoming campaign.
