How Wildcats' Mathurin Played Key Role in Pacers' Finals Run

Former Arizona Wildcats shooting guard Bennedict Mathurin had a long road ahead of him after tearing the labrum in his right shoulder during a March contest against the Dallas Mavericks, which required season-ending surgery in 2024.

During his two years at Arizona (2020-2022), Mathurin was a scoring nightmare for opposing teams, averaging 14.8 points, 45 percent on field goals in 29.4 minutes played.

He was a key factor in the Wildcats' getting to the Sweet 16 in 2022, where they lost to the Houston Cougars 72-60.

The game before, Mathurin scored 30 points in 41 minutes of play in a 85-80 overtime victory over TCU in the second round. He shot 3-11 past the 3-point line but managed to make every shot count from free throws, going 11-13.

Mathurin proved that not only could he come back and play most of the season but that he could be an effective player coming off the bench for an Indiana Paceers team that made to the 2025 NBA Finals.

Mathurin averaged 12.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.3 assists in that series against the Oklahoma City Thunder where the Pacers lost in seven games.

His best game of that series was in a game 3 win, where he scored 27 points on 9-12 shooting with just 22 minutes played.

"He's put in a lot of work for these moments and tonight he was a major factor." Head coach Rick Carlisle said in a post game press conference.

Overall, Mathurin averaged 16.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.6 steals in 78 games played during the regular season.

His rookie year numbers were similiar as he averaged 16.1 points and started 49 games of the 72 he played.

Mathurin missed the 2023-2024 playoffs where the Pacers made it to the Eastern Conference FInals and lost to the Boston Celtics in four games due to the Labrum injury.

Spectating the playoffs rather than playing in it was hard on the former No. 6 draft pick but he took what he could out of it

"Its crazy how we went from 25 wins to and going into this season and winning a lot of games and going to the Eastern Conference Finals," Mathurin said in a 2023-2024 exit interview. "I feel like it is a big change but also its just a blessing to be able to witness that early in my career, seeing how hard it is to get to that level."

Mathurin is entering the final year of his 4-year rookie contract for the 2025-2026 season. Whether or not the Pacers will sign him to an extension has yet to be heard of.

If you liked what you read in this article, be sure to follow us on our social media page. You can find it by clicking the link right here.