For the first few weeks of the season, Bennedict Mathurin was a starter for the Indiana Pacers. Now that it was his second year, Indiana was hoping that he was going to take a leap and be part of the young core that they are building, He's a scorer that can create his own shot.
As the season progressed, Rick Carlisle thought it was best to move him back to the bench. He only started 19 games this season and actually played fewer minutes than he did in his rookie campaign. His scoring dropped from 16.7 points per game to 14.5.
Then Mathurin got hurt. He tore his labrum and missed the rest of the season. He only played 59 games this season. The weird thing is once he got hurt, it seemed like the Pacers actually got better. He had to sit on the bench and watch the team make the Eastern Conference Finals without him.
How does Bennedict Mathurin fit with the Pacers moving forward?
Two years in, it's still unclear how Mathruin fits into this roster. He does a lot of things well. He's one of the few players on the roster who can create his own shot anywhere on the court. Mathurin is also pretty much the only player on the team who can consistently get to the free-throw line. His defense on Giannis early in the season was impressive as well.
Still, there are things that we thought he would improve on this year that he didn't quite do. He still plays at a slower pace than everyone else on the court. He takes too long to make a decision when the ball is in his hands. His playmaking hasn't evolved either and he's still prone to defensive lapses.
So where does that leave Mathurin with this roster? Is he a piece the Pacers should keep coming off the bench to make the scoring even more potent? Should they start him alongside Haliburton? Or should he be a piece in a trade to get a third star? There are many possibilities.
I think the Pacers keep him and use him off the bench. He has one extremely valuable trait that not many young guys have; he's not afraid of the moment. He is fearless. That's something this young team could have used against the Celtics. They needed a guy who wasn't going to fold down the stretch.
I still like Mathurin's potential. I think he's a good player who will develop into a solid contributor for this team.