The Indiana Pacers are now looking forward to commencing their 2022-23 regular season campaign after capping off the preseason in a deadlock. However, before the meaningful games begin, let’s zoom in on one standout from the team during training camp: Bennedict Mathurin.
Mathurin, the sixth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, made headlines shortly after getting picked with his statement about LeBron James.
"A lot of people say he’s great. I want to see how great he is. I don’t think anybody is better than me. He’s going to have to show me he’s better than me."
LeBron obviously does not have to prove himself to anyone, but most people chuckled at what the rookie had to say about the King. However, this should be construed as a testament to how confident Mathurin is in his abilities, and looking back at what he has shown so far, he definitely wasn’t joking around back then.
Bennedict Mathurin was the highlight of the Indiana Pacers’ preseason
In four preseason games, Mathurin stood out as the most productive player on the Indiana Pacers roster in training camp. While he came off the bench in all four contests, he often outshone the opening group, averaging 19.8 points in just 23.5 minutes per game on an impressive 48.2 percent shooting from the floor.
His scoring output topped the team by a huge margin—Tyrese Haliburton came in second on the team at 12.5 points per game in almost the same amount of court time. Save for his struggles at the three-point line (a paltry 15.4 percent from downtown), Mathurin was a revelation, and if he keeps this up, he could be a legitimate contender to bag Rookie of the Year honors.
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Granted, Mathurin is still projected to come off the bench for the time being, though that can quickly change if the Pacers pull the trigger on the rumor mill and dangle their veterans away to open up more minutes for the youngsters.
To end, Pacers fans should be pretty excited about Bennedict Mathurin’s clear and unerring star potential, and to all those whose eyebrows were raised by what he said about one of, if not the greatest player in basketball history, definitely don’t gloss over it as a joke.