While they are still in a bit of a three-team battle for homecourt advantage, the Indiana Pacers are starting to pull away with the No. 4 seed. The Pacers are ahead of the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks by two and 3.5 games in the standings, respectively. Additionally, they are only 3.5 games behind the New York Knicks for the No. 3 seed. Though they are within striking distance, jumping the Knicks in the standings seems unlikely. Still, there is a lot to be excited about for Pacers fans.
No matter where they finish in the standings, the Pacers are all but guaranteed a playoff spot and a chance to make another deep run this year. After making their first conference finals in a decade last year, the Pacers are aiming to repeat their success this postseason. They will rely heavily on their top players, but their second unit will also prove to be important to their postseason success--Bennedict Mathurin, especially.
With the beginning of the playoffs just a few weeks away, Mathurin is continuing to prove his importance to the team, and he will be crucial to Indiana's championship aspirations.
Bennedict Mathurin will be important to the Pacers' playoff run
Last year, the Canadian native missed the Pacers' entire playoff run due to a shoulder injury he suffered near the end of the season. In his absence, the Pacers were four wins away from the NBA Finals anyway. However, this does not make him any less important to their success.
Despite starting for most of the season, Mathurin moved back to the bench in February and has taken on a role as their sixth man ever since. While this was a bit of a controversial move at the time, the results so far have looked promising, especially since Mathurin thrives in a sixth-man role.
In the playoffs, teams trim their rotation to ensure that their top guys get as much playing time as possible. Because of this, Mathurin must provide quality minutes on the court, regardless of how much playing time he gets each game. Furthermore, as is the case for every team in the playoffs, the sixth man is usually expected to score efficiently and get points, which is Mathurin's bread and butter.
The third-year pro is far from the most important player on the Pacers, but he is still crucial to their success. If the Pacers want to enjoy another deep playoff run in 2025, Mathurin must be on his A-game.