Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard has been a common pick for the potential Most Improved Player for the 2025-26 season. With Tyrese Haliburton sidelined for the year while he recovers from an Achilles injury, he’ll certainly have the ball in his hands a lot more. However, Zena Keita believes that his teammate, Bennedict Mathurin, could end up stealing the away from him.
“He’s going to have a lot more burden on his shoulders to be a focal point of their offense and be that off-ball creator now that Tyrese is out,” she said on The Athletic NBA Daily podcast. “So, I’m like—I love Andrew Nembhard as a pick. I mean, I literally almost made it. But I think that Ben will be the Most Improved. He had career numbers last year. Points, rebounds, assists—high. And he was doing that off the bench. So, I mean.”
But who has the better case to win the award?
Can Bennedict Mathurin win Most Improved Player?
The case for Nembhard to win the Most Improved Player is much more straightforward than the one that can be made for Mathurin, though both are very solid.
Haliburton has been the leader of the Pacers’ offense ever since he stepped foot in Indiana, but with him out, Nembhard is the obvious choice to replace him in terms of minutes, duties, and responsibility.
Obviously, Haliburton is an All-NBA point guard, and Nembhard may not be able to replicate his production, but if he can carry the torch, it could lead to career-high numbers.
At the same time, Mathurin has shown serious flashes of improvement as his career has gone on. Even during the Pacers’ run to the Finals last year, his ability to score and get to the free-throw line stood out.
Indiana may have to switch up their brand of basketball this year, at least a little bit, to make up for the loss of Haliburton in the scoring column and in the assists column.
Putting the ball in Mathurin’s hands more would make a ton of sense, as he’s clearly a very talented scorer. And if they decide to do that, then his numbers could jump up even more than they did last season.
Opportunities will be plentiful in Indiana this year with Haliburton out, and both Nembhard and Mathurin could end up being in the Most Improved Player conversations.
The question is, will one of them manage to take the award home at the end of the season?