Pacers Report Cards: Grading every Pacers player through the All-Star break
By Mueez Azfar
Bennedict Mathurin
Stats: 53 Games, 25.5 MPG, 14.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 1.7 TOV, 1.8 FPG 45/36.6/82.5 Splits on 56.1% TS
2022-23 Stats: 78 Games, 28.5 MPG, 16.7 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 1.9 TOV, 2.1 FPG 43.4/32.3/82.8 Splits on 56.6% TS
From a beacon of consistancy to the exact opposite.
After a very solid rookie season where he made an argument for Rookie of the Year many times during the year, Bennedict Mathurin was expected to improve on that progress in his second year on the team, where he would be projected to have a breakout year as a full-time starter.
So far, that has not happened. In 52 games, Mathurin's game has been marred with inconsistency, as he would trade stretches averaging north of 20 points on good efficiency with stretches averaging less than 10 on bad efficiency. Of course, a lot of this has to do with the type of player that he is. Gunners such as him are bound to have good and bad shooting stretches frequently and not be too consistent, as they have one job and one job only - to score the ball.
However, Mathurin's stretches have been puzzling. Statistically, he is a net negative while on the floor this year and makes the team worse on offense. This is because his bad stretches tend to hurt the team quite a bit, and make him borderline unplayable at times.
For example, the February 12 matchup against Charlotte, where Mathurin scored zero points, and Charlotte won by nine, or the January 19 matchup against Portland, where he scored two points on 0/8 shooting, and they lost by three.
This year, a lot of Mathurin's performances have been more or less linked to the team's success, as in his 10 worst shooting games, the Pacers hold a record of 9-1. Mathurin's status as perhaps the most impactful player on the Pacers shows in the games, as the offense looks far more fluid and alive when he is making his shots compared to when he isn't, in which case the offense looks borderline unwatchable.
Despite these inconsistencies, Mathurin has still shown signs of improvement, as shown by his shooting numbers going up, and his ability to slow down the game will help Indiana wonders as a team that mostly plays fast. Only time will tell how the second half of the season treats him but for now, it's pretty up and down.