2. He feels that the biggest thing he needs to improve in his NBA game is his defense.
Mathurin from the moment he arrive in the NBA has been an awesome force on the offensive side of the ball. But Mathurin talked about what he felt was the most needed improvement from his game at this point:
"“Defense is one thing I’m really trying to improve on,” Mathurin continues. “I know I’m great on ball. Sometimes I gotta adjust to the next man has to be there. It’s not like college, you know? So, I just got to adjust to being a better off-ball defender."
And we agree. Mathurin has been just OKAY on defense, and if he wants to be become the All-Star he can be, he will surely need to improve on this end of the court. Myles Turner is an elite defensive big, but the Pacers desperately need more defense on and around the perimeter, something that backcourt mate Tyrese Haliburton could stand to work on himself. Lucky for us, Mathurin might just be competitive enough to actually put in the work to become the great defender he can be.