Indiana Pacers‘ Bennedict Mathurin showed out in the Rising Stars Challenge at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and helped Team Jalen take home the title. The young forward was sensational against Team Tamika in the first game, scoring 18 of his team’s 40 points to guide them to victory.
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Mathurin scored only four points in the final against Team Detlef but made a massive impact on the defensive end. The two opposition guards, Mac McClung and Alondes Williams, combined for only three points, as Team Jalen took home the trophy with a 26-13 win.
The 22-year-old was the Pacers’ top pick in the 2022 NBA draft. He signed a four-year, $29.9 million rookie deal with the team and is set to earn $6.9 million during the 2023-24 season. The Pacers have already picked up their club option on the third season of his four-year deal. He’s guaranteed to earn another $7.2 million by the end of the 2024-25 NBA season.
Where did Bennedict Mathurin go to college?
Bennedict Mathurin attended the University of Arizona for two years between 2020 and 2022. The young forward started only 12 of his 26 appearances for the Arizona Wildcats in his freshman year. He averaged 10.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 25 minutes of game time. The following year, he became a starter and thrived. He averaged 17.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists and led the Arizona Wildcats to the Pac-12 Conference title.
Mathurin was named a second-team All-American, Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player, and the Pac-12 Player of the Year. After an outstanding year with the Wildcats, he declared for the 2022 NBA draft and was picked sixth in the first round by the Pacers.
Is Bennedict Mathurin a starter?
Bennedict Mathurin spent his rookie season as the backup shooting guard and started only 17 of his 78 appearances for the Pacers. However, despite not being a starter, he averaged 28.5 minutes per game, the fourth-most for a Pacers player during the 2022-23 season. He was the team’s fourth-highest scorer, averaging 16.7 points, just a shade below Myles Turner (18 points per game) and Buddy Hield (16.8 points per game).
The Pacers added Bruce Brown to their roster in the 2023 offseason and traded for Pascal Siakam in January. Both moves have affected Mathurin’s playing time, which has dipped to 25 minutes per game. However, he continues to be a critical contributor off the bench for the Pacers. He’s averaging 14.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. He has also improved his three-point shooting percentage from 32.4% to 36.6%.
Bennedict Mathurin is not a regular starter for the Pacers. However, he is a reliable option off the bench who’s critical to the team’s success. Indiana hopes he continues to improve and becomes a vital part of their core for years.
