3 Players fans should watch in Indiana Pacers preseason game vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

2. Benedict Mathurin

At the beginning of last season, Benedict Mathurin was coming off the bench for the Indiana Pacers, and he looked awesome in that role, especially for a rookie.

There was some serious buzz as to whether or not he could be in the conversation for Rookie of the Year by the end of the season, but that fizzled out.

Instead, Mathurin was a member of the starting lineup by the end of the year, and now, he’s set to be a full-time starter for the Pacers this year, as relayed by GM Chad Buchanan.

In Indiana’s last preseason game, Mathurin had nine points, four rebounds, and four assists while shooting 4-of-6 from the field and 0-of-2 from deep.

He’s been solid this preseason, and if he can continue to have the success he had last season, he and the Pacers will be in good shape. But he needs to make improvements, too.

Mathurin’s playmaking has looked better throughout the preseason, but the team should be looking to him to get better on the defensive end as well.

A solid performance in the Pacers’ final preseason game against the Cleveland Cavaliers would go a long way in terms of solidifying himself as the rightful starter, though it seems extremely unlikely he will lose the spot anyway.