Bennedict Mathurin reportedly wants a big contract as he prepares to hit restricted free agency next summer, but the Indiana Pacers may have spending concerns as they aim to stay under the luxury tax. If Mathurin wants to get paid, he must prove he is an elite shooting guard this season.
In August, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line suggested in a Bleacher Report video that the Canadian native may be seeking $20-$30 million per season in his new contract. This would be roughly the max contract Indiana can give Mathurin, who is eligible for up to a five-year, $240 million contract.
"I think Benn Mathurin certainly wants to be compensated in that same $20-$30 [million] ballpark...I think there's gonna be an opportunity for him without Tyrese Haliburton for much of the season to try to play his way into that number moving forward," Fischer said.
While Mathurin is a great player and should only continue to improve as he is just 23 years old, there is a reason the Pacers have not given him a rookie-scale contract extension this offseason: he is not a good fit in their system.
Mathurin is a fantastic scorer, but he is primarily an iso scorer who likes to put the ball on the floor. As for the Pacers as a team, they rely much more heavily on ball movement and improvisation. Their system calls for the ball to be moving quickly and often, and Mathurin does the complete opposite of that.
Furthermore, it is not as though the Arizona alum provides much value elsewhere, particularly since he is not much of a defender. If he provides more value in these areas, the Pacers could justify signing him to a new contract to keep him around, even if he is not a good fit.
This season, Mathurin will have his best opportunity yet to showcase his value to the Pacers as the team's starting shooting guard. His future in Indiana is still up in the air, but if he can prove his worth, he should be able to establish himself as a long-term contributor for the team.
What does Bennedict Mathurin need to show to earn a new contract?
There was never any doubt about Mathurin's talents. He is a fantastic scorer, and he stepped up plenty of times for Indiana last season, especially during the playoffs, considering that he scored 20 or more points off the bench five separate times. This includes a fantastic 27-point performance in Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, when he shot 9-for-12 from the field in 22 minutes.
Unfortunately for Mathurin, this is evidently not enough for Indiana to justify signing him to a new deal that could push them into the luxury tax. However, it is not too late for him to do so, and he needs to showcase this this season.
Offensively, one of the biggest areas Mathurin needs to improve is his consistency. When he is hot, he is virtually unstoppable and can help the Pacers win some games. However, he also has plenty of games where he struggles putting the ball in the basket. Last season, he had 15 games in the regular season scoring fewer than 10 points.
Additionally, while his iso scoring is great, he needs to show more offensive versatility by developing as a passer and moving the ball well. He will never be a playmaker like Tyrese Haliburton is, but they don't need him to be. Instead, he just needs to show that he can buy into their offensive system and play his role well.
Mathurin will also need to show some defensive improvements to become a more well-rounded player, and according to head coach Rick Carlisle, he will have plenty of opportunities to do so this season.
There is a lot to like about Mathurin with the Pacers, but he still has some changes he needs to make before earning another contract with the team. Fortunately for him, he will have more than enough chances to do exactly that this season.