Bennedict Mathurin has long been a bit of a polarizing player for the Indiana Pacers. Now in his fourth season with the team, Mathurin has shown a lot, both positive and negative.
The Canadian native is a gifted scorer (currently averaging a career 16.1 points on 44.8% shooting from the field and 34.4% from beyond the arc, mostly coming off the bench), a potential All-Star in the making, and a microwave who can get hot at any moment.
He is also a ball-stopper, a bad playmaker, and an inconsistent defender.
However, whether you love him or hate him, there is one thing about Mathurin that cannot be disputed: he has incredible confidence in himself and his abilities. And Rick Carlisle is well aware of this.
After Wednesday's victory against the Charlotte Hornets, Carlisle praised Mathurin's confidence, as well as his maturation over the course of his NBA career.
"Carlisle on Mathurin and his confidence: 'This is one of the most confident people I've ever met in my life.' Praised his defense and him tightening it up throughout the game and noted his maturation as a player," Tony East of Forbes wrote on X.
Carlisle on Mathurin and his confidence: "This is one of the most confident people I've ever met in my life." Praised his defense and him tightening it up throughout the game and noted his maturation as a player.
— Tony East (@TonyREast) November 20, 2025
Bennedict Mathurin's confidence might be his best trait
For Mathurin in his role, having confidence is essential.
The Arizona alum is often tasked with having the ball in his hands and putting himself and the team in the best position to succeed. He is a great scorer, but he is also very streaky (last season, he had 23 games of scoring 20 or more points and 16 games scoring in single-digits).
A lot of this is just natural progression as Mathurin just turned 23 years old in June, but a lot of it is because he is mostly a shot-creator, which puts a lot of pressure on him to generate offense.
There are a lot of players on the Pacers' roster who can create their own shot, especially guys like Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard, who sometimes do their best work off the dribble. However, this is Mathurin's main job on offense, which makes it important that his confidence never wavers as a lot of the team's success depends on his performance. This is especially true this season.
Mathurin's confidence can have a bit of a ripple effect. When he is on, the rest of the team can often follow suit. This was especially noticeable on Wednesday, when his team-high 24 points on 7-for-13 shooting led Indiana to its second win of the season.
The Pacers are most likely not going to be able to turn things around by the end of the season, but they should still be in a good position to compete for a championship in the future. And having a guy like Mathurin, who is always capable of putting his best foot forward no matter the pressure, could be what separates them from other contenders as they continue their hunt for their first-ever NBA title.