Built for the Future: Bennedict Mathurin Looks Like Perfect Pair for Tyrese Haliburton
Although it’s not an indication that he’ll necessarily have the best career or win NBA Rookie of the Year this season, Bennedict Mathurin was arguably the top rookie in the NBA during the preseason. The Indiana Pacers seem to have found a cornerstone piece with their No. 6 pick in the recent draft.
Not only did Mathurin produce quite a few highlight plays during the preseason as he flashed his elite athleticism, but he also put up the numbers to impact winning as well.
Mathurin’s 19.8 points per game was top 15 in the entire league. Among players that participated in at least three games, he was in the top ten.
While the 3-point shot (15.4%) wasn’t there for Mathurin, this just goes to show how much more room he has to improve and become even more of a lethal scorer moving forward. Even with that low perimeter shooting efficiency, he was great inside the arc which bumped his overall field goal split to 48.2% from the floor.
Even outside of scoring, the Arizona product produced 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per contest.
It’s worth nothing Mathurin’s usage percentage (33%) was third in the entire NBA during the preseason, which shouldn’t be expected during the regular season.
Regardless, the Indiana backcourt is starting to emerge as one of the best in the NBA as it relates to future potential. Mathurin will be paired with Tyrese Haliburton for the future, who the Pacers acquired late last season. As such, the Pacers look extremely smart as they’ve put this dynamic duo was put together over the course of just a few months.
A former lottery pick himself in the 2020 NBA Draft, Haliburton is just 22 years old and one of the emerging young guards in the NBA. After joining the Pacers last season, he averaged 17.5 points, 9.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds through 26 games.
More of a pure point guard with the ability to facilitate and generate assists at this point, Haliburton should be the more natural lead guard in Indiana. Meanwhile, Mathurin can be the explosive, high-scoring off-ball guard that can also slide over to the wing.
At least on the surface, these two appear to be the perfect fit alongside one another. If the Pacers can continue to build around this young backcourt, the future should be bright.
This all goes without even mentioning Chris Duarte, who averaged 13.1 points per game while shooting 36.9% from deep as a rookie last season. He can play as a guard or on the wing as well and is a huge piece of what the Pacers are doing.
Whether Mathurin starts his career off the bench or as a starter, there’s real optimism that him and Haliburton can be the backcourt of the future in Indiana.
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