If Bennedict Mathurin wants to stay with the Indiana Pacers past this season, he needs to accept that his best role will be as a sixth man.
Is Mathurin good enough to be a starter for the Pacers? Absolutely. He can get hot in a second and is borderline unstoppable when he's on. But there's also no denying that he does his best work when he's able to take full control of the offense with the ball in his hands. Realistically, he's not going to do that when Tyrese Haliburton is back on the court full-time.
Additionally, while he has improved, Mathurin isn't a good enough defender or passer to justify starting him over a guy like Aaron Nesmith, who is the perfect fit in Indiana's starting lineup.
Keeping the Canadian native on the bench wouldn't be a demotion. In fact, it may ultimately be the best move for him and the team to raise their ceiling as much as possible. And ahead of his restricted free agency, if he wants to continue playing a big role for the Pacers as they look to re-enter the title picture, he needs to come to terms with this sooner rather than later.
Bennedict Mathurin is best as the Pacers' sixth man
Mathurin is an isolation scorer first and foremost, and that's not going to change. Trying to turn him into something he's not would be a disaster for the Pacers as he would lose a lot of what makes him special. However, on the flip side, the Arizona alum needs to become a more well-rounded player to be a good fit in Indiana's lineup.
The best compromise? Keep Mathurin past this season, let him do what he does, and let him run free. But only as a sixth man who can make the occasional spot start.
Mathurin is way too talented for the Pacers to either trade him this season (unless the deal is way too good to pass up on) or lose him for nothing in the summer. Sure, he can be inconsistent, and the team is seeing that firsthand this season. But he's also just 23 years old and has already stepped up numerous times (like when he scored 24 points in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals...off the bench).
His future in Indiana is still up in the air, and there are reasons to believe he may have already played his final game for the team. But Mathurin can raise the Pacers' long-term ceiling, and he can be an X-factor for them moving forward. They will be back in title contention, maybe even as soon as next season. But whether they have Mathurin around or not may determine just how far they can really go.