2 Studs, 1 dud from gut-wrenching Indiana Pacers loss to Charlotte Hornets
By Jack Simone
Dud – Benedict Mathurin
Heading into the season, expectations for Bennedict Mathurin were sky-high. Fresh off an impressive rookie season, Mathurin was pegged as one of the key pieces on an Indiana Pacers team expected to make a leap.
Unfortunately, through the first six games of the season, Mathurin has been inconsistent. And his inconsistencies continued against the Charlotte Hornets, as he was unable to produce an efficient performance.
In 23:56 of action, Mathurin put up eight points, five rebounds, and five assists while shooting 3-of-11 from the field and 0-of-2 from beyond the three-point line.
On a night where the Pacers could have used someone outside of Tyrese Haliburton to step up, Mathurin fell short of the mark, and the Pacers can’t afford that anymore.
To dish out a bit of credit, Mathurin continued to show off his improved playmaking skills in this one, doling out five assists, but shooting 3-of-11 from the field is a disappointment.
All of this isn’t to say that Mathurin is a bad player. Quite the opposite, actually. Mathurin is great, but if the Pacers want to reach their peak, they need him to play at the level they know he can on a consistent basis.
If they don’t know if they’re getting an efficient 20-point game or an inefficient, sub-10-point game from Mathurin, then the offense will be affected.