Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin wins Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month award
Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin was named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for games played in the months of October and November. Because the NBA season began halfway through October, the months are combined for award purposes.
Mathurin was terrific to open the season for Indiana. In the games he played during October and November, the sixth overall pick averaged 19.2 points as well as 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. The Pacers went 12-9 in that span and were fourth in the Eastern Conference standings when the month ended. Mathurin's play was a big factor in the team's success.
The 20-year old guard is the current leader in the Rookie of the Year race and sits on top of the NBA's rookie ladder. He has been special to start the season, and he may even be in the mix for the league's Sixth Man of the Year award as well if he keeps up his current output for a whole season.
Mathurin had several huge outings during the month-and-a-half period, including a 32-point night in Brooklyn, two games with over 25 points in his first three appearances, and a 30-point outburst — including 18 in just the second quarter — against the Denver Nuggets. He can already score at a high level.
"He's a strong-willed guy who's a nasty competitor that can really score. And he's getting better and better," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of Mathruin this week.
Fittingly, Pacers reserve rookie Andrew Nembhard was a nominee for the award as well. He was the only second-round pick to be nominated in either conference.
Beyond the award for Rookie of the Month, the Pacers received recognition for their strong start elsewhere. Carlisle, for example, was a nominee for the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month after guiding his team to a top-four record in the East to begin the campaign. Boston's Joe Mazzulla won the award while the other two coaches near the top of the conference, Cleveland's J.B. Bickerstaff and Milwaukee's Mike Budenholzer, were also nominated.
On the player front, it's no surprise that the NBA's current leader in the MVP ladder, Jayson Tatum, won Eastern Conference Player of the Month. The Celtics went 18-4 and he averaged nearly 32 points per game. The Pacers had two nominees for the award in Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner.
Turner had perhaps the best month of his career in November. He averaged 18.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game during the month, and the Pacers went 9-4. He was dominant and a big part of Indiana's success, and he was nominated for the Conference Player of the Week award three times during the month.
"I love his consistency," Carlisle said of Turner earlier this season.
Haliburton, meanwhile, actually won a Player of the Week award in November and is off to an excellent start this season. He averaged 19.3 points and a league-leading 11.2 assists per game in the opening portion of the season, which led to him being nominated for Player of the Month. The Pacers offense is nearly three points per 100 possessions better with Haliburton on the court than off this season.
Indiana currently sits at 12-10 and is in the middle of a seven-game road trip. They next take on the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night.
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