If Bennedict Mathurin wants to guarantee a long-term stay with the Indiana Pacers, taking home the Most Improved Player award next season should help him do exactly that.
With Tyrese Haliburton out with an injury, the Pacers are not expected to necessarily be too competitive next season. They should still be a solid team and can make some noise, but making a third consecutive deep playoff run seems highly unlikely. Instead, they will likely put more of their focus and attention into experimenting with the roster a bit and seeing what they can do differently once their star guard returns.
Next season, the Pacers will do exactly that with Mathurin, who is expected to be the team's starting shooting guard alongside Andrew Nembhard in the backcourt. This will be a huge test for the 23-year-old, whose future in Indiana is still up in the air.
Bennedict Mathurin can be a long-term contributor for the Pacers
Mathurin is an incredibly gifted scorer, and he has only gotten better since joining the league. He can be a bit streaky, and he certainly does go through his ups and downs. Even so, the talent is there, and it is very obvious.
Unfortunately for the Canadian native, he is eligible for a rookie-scale contract extension this summer, and as it stands, he is not likely to get it. Instead, the Pacers will give him a chance to prove his worth during the season.
The reason for this is that, regardless of how skilled he is, there are legitimate concerns about his fit with the Pacers. He is a fantastic iso scorer, but the rest of his game does not mesh too well in Indiana. Mathurin puts the ball on the ground a lot, slowing the pace of the team's run-and-gun offense. Furthermore, he does not provide much defensive value, and he is not much of a team player, at least in comparison to the rest of the roster.
Despite all of that, Mathurin has proven he can provide value in Indiana, and he should have a prime opportunity to continue doing that next season. With an expanded role, not only should the Arizona alum be able to make a bigger impact on the team, but he should realistically be in the running for the league's Most Improved Player award. If he can achieve this milestone, it will be incredibly difficult for the Pacers to justify moving on from him the following offseason.
There is a lot to like about Mathurin. He is gifted and continues to improve. However, his long-term status with the Pacers is not set in stone just yet. But with a breakout campaign, he may be able to seal his fate in Indiana and establish himself as an asset as the team looks to remain in title contention.