Pacers rookies Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard nominated for March/April Rookie of the Month in the Eastern Conference
The NBA announced its final batch of monthly awards for the 2022-23 season on Tuesday, honoring players who performed well in March and the brief period of April that regular season basketball took place.
The Indiana Pacers struggled during that portion of the season, going 7-12. Injuries, rotation changes, and development goals all played a factor in the team's late season record.
Such a poor record removed the Pacers from consideration for any player to win, or be nominated for, Eastern Conference Player of the Month. And Rick Carlisle wasn't going to win Coach of the Month, either.
But the team's two standout rookies, Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin, were excellent down the stretch, and they were in the mix for Eastern Conference Rookie of the month for games played in March and April. In the end, though, both players finished as nominees as Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero received the honor.
For Mathurin, this is his fourth time being a finalist for Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month, and his fifth time if you factor in that he won the award in November. He was consistently effective for the blue and gold this season.
The sixth overall pick averaged 15.0 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in the period that the award spans. He played in 15 games and started 11 times as his level of responsibility increased down the stretch of the season.
"He could be a top scorer in the league... he's only going to get better," Pacers forward Oshae Brissett said of Mathurin this week.
For Nembhard, this is his third nomination for the honor, with the first two coming in November and December. He posted averages of 13.7 points and 5.9 assists per game in March and April as he was the Pacers starting point guard for much of that stretch. His defense was effective, too.
Both Nembhard and Mathurin participated in the NBA Rising Stars game during All-Star weekend. The Pacers are rebuilding well, and these rookies are two of the reasons why.
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