Bennedict Mathurin's Clippers Tenure Goes From Bad to Worse on Friday

Since Bennedict Mathurin arrived in Los Angeles at the trade deadline, it has been an inconsistent stretch of basketball for the 23-year-old shooting guard. He has had big scoring nights, but he has had games where he was completely invisible. His defense, outside shot, and playmaking have been points of concern, leading the Clippers to keep his role relatively small despite needing more offensive juice.

On Friday, Mathurin's Clippers tenure hit a new low. The former Pacer only played five minutes and didn't see the court past the first quarter. Considering that the game against the Portland Trail Blazers was the most important game of the season for the Clippers, this speaks volumes about how the coaching staff sees Mathurin.

Bennedict Mathurin Didn't Play Past the 1st Quarter vs. Blazers

Mathurin entered the game with five minutes left in the opening quarter. He was taken advantage of defensively, Shaedon Sharpe and Deni Avdija driving right past him on multiple occasions to get to the paint. Offensively, he wasn't able to make an impact, missing both of his shots and finishing with zero points and one assist. The Blazers ended up winning these five minutes 13-5, extending their lead to nine and setting the tone for the rest of the game.

The Clippers were able to claw back into the game, even taking the lead in the third quarter. Since LA was playing much better without Mathurin, head coach Ty Lue didn't put him back in the game in his usual second-half stint.

LA ran out of gas in the fourth quarter, scoring only 13 points. For the entire game, the Clippers had a 103.7 offensive rating. One has to wonder whether more minutes for Mathurin could have helped them score more efficiently.

At the same time, the fact that the coaching staff didn't trust Mathurin at all when the team desperately needed more scoring should be a wake-up call for the talented shooting guard. Mathurin is headed to restricted free agency this offseason, and his fall from grace will almost certainly hurt his value on the market.

Mathurin's scoring talent is undeniable. He could get to the rim and the free-throw line at will since his rookie campaign. The problem with his game is everything else. He is shooting 20% from three as a Clipper and has almost as many turnovers as assists. Defensively, he continues to leave plenty to be desired. Given his physical and athletic tools, one would expect him to be much more effective on that end of the floor, but he fails to stay in front of players.

Where Mathurin goes from here remains to be seen, but he is clearly trending in the wrong direction. With only one more game left before the postseason, Mathurin may be running out of time to get in Lue's good graces.