Pacers' Bennedict Mathurin: Another double-digit performance
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Mathurin supplied 16 points (5-14 FG, 4-7 3Pt, 2-2 FT), five rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes during Monday's 122-112 victory over the Celtics.
Mathurin was terrible from inside the arc, connecting on just one of seven attempts, but he was still able to extend his double-digit scoring streak to five games thanks to a quartet of three-pointers. During that stretch, Mathurin has averaged 14.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 25.8 minutes per game. Despite moving to the bench in mid-November, Mathurin is still playing heavy minutes and delivering solid scoring production, but his efforts in the peripheral categories leave fantasy managers in category leagues wanting more.
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Pacers' Bennedict Mathurin: Unproductive again Monday
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Mathurin notched 11 points (4-10 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 3-5 FT) and four rebounds over 22 minutes during Monday's 114-110 loss to the Trail Blazers.
Mathurin offered very little again Monday, continuing his poor run of late. Since moving to the bench, it's been a whole lot of nothing for the sophomore. Although he has scored at least 10 points in four of the past five games, he has shot over 50 percent only once while adding basically nothing in terms of peripheral production. Despite the upside, Mathurin is a drop candidate in standard leagues.
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Pacers' Bennedict Mathurin: Heading to bench
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Mathurin isn't in the starting five for Tuesday's game versus the Hawks, Scott Agness of FieldhouseFiles.com reports.
Mathurin will be replaced by Buddy Hield in the starting lineup Tuesday. This is a surprising move, as Mathurin is averaging 15.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 28.2 minutes across his last five appearances. The second-year forward could still receive a similar amount of playing time as normal despite coming off the bench.
Mathurin posted 14 points (4-12 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 5-5 FT), six rebounds, three assists and one steal across 25 minutes before fouling out of Sunday's 128-116 loss to Orlando.
Mathurin led all Pacers starters in scoring while hauling in a team-high rebound mark despite playing just 25 minutes due to foul trouble. Mathurin has tallied at least 10 points and five rebounds on three occasions this season, all of which have occurred over his last five games.
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Pacers' Bennedict Mathurin: Limited impact in win
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Mathurin racked up eight points (3-8 FG, 2-4 3Pt) in 16 minutes during Tuesday's 132-126 victory over the 76ers.
Mathurin was held to a single-digit scoring total for a second consecutive matchup and was unable to generate any production in secondary categories. Although he remained in the starting lineup Tuesday, the 21-year-old was limited to just 16 minutes, his second-lowest total of the season.
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Pacers' Bennedict Mathurin: Season-best outing in win
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Mathurin racked up 26 points (9-18 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 5-6 FT), 11 rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal across 36 minutes during Thursday's 126-124 victory over Milwaukee.
Mathurin has his best outing of the season, leading all Pacers in rebounds while finishing with his first double-double of the year. Mathurin set season-high marks in both scoring and rebounds in the win and has now had two straight games with at least 20 points and nine rebounds.
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Pacers' Bennedict Mathurin: Just misses double-double
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Mathurin had 22 points (9-18 FG, 4-7 3Pt), nine rebounds, four assists and two steals over 38 minutes during Wednesday's 134-118 win over the Jazz.
The 22 points and four three-pointers were season-best marks for Mathurin, while the second-year guard fell one board shy of his first double-double of 2023-24. After a strong rookie campaign, the 21-year-old has had a little trouble getting going to kick off his sophomore season with the Pacers, scoring 10 points or less in four of eight games, but Wednesday's big performance could be a sign he's heating up.
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Pacers' Bennedict Mathurin: Failing to impress
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Mathurin provided eight points (3-11 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 2-2 FT), five rebounds, five assists and one steal in 24 minutes during Saturday's 125-124 loss to the Hornets.
Mathurin's inefficiency on nights when he fails to earn free throws is a troubling trend. He's shooting just 39.3 percent from the field and 20.0 percent from beyond the arc through Indiana's first six games, but he's drawing shooting fouls on 15.8 percent of his possessions. His foul-drawing frequency ranks fourth among all wings and second among all combo guards in the league this season, making Mathurin a sneaky bounce-back candidate.
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Pacers' Bennedict Mathurin: Good to go Wednesday
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Mathurin (elbow) will play Wednesday against the Celtics, Jared Weiss of The Athletic reports.
Mathurin and Tyrese Haliburton (ankle) both suffered injuries during Monday's loss to the Bulls and were initially listed as questionable for Wednesday's game. While Mathurin has been cleared, Haliburton has been ruled out, so the former may see an uptick in usage with Indiana down its No. 1 offensive weapon.
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Pacers' Bennedict Mathurin: Listed as questionable
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Mathurin (elbow) is questionable for Wednesday's matchup against the Celtics.
Mathurin suffered the injury during the first half of Monday's loss to the Bulls, but he finished the contest and scored nine second-half points. If the second-year wing is sidelined, Buddy Hield, Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard would be candidates for increased playing time.
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Pacers' Bennedict Mathurin: Dealing with right elbow injury
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Mathurin didn't practice Tuesday due to a right elbow injury, Tony East of SI.com reports.
Mathurin reportedly suffered the injury during the first half of Monday's loss to the Bulls, but he still scored nine second-half points (2-6 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 4-4 FT). Given the injury is to his shooting elbow, the Pacers will presumably proceed with caution. Coach Rick Carlisle said Mathurin will, at best, be listed as questionable for Wednesday's matchup in Boston. If Mathurin is sidelined, Buddy Hield, Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard would be candidates for increased roles.
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Pacers' Bennedict Mathurin: Staying in Indiana
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The Pacers exercised the third-year team option on Mathurin's rookie-scale contract Friday, Tony East of SI.com reports.
Mathurin is now under contract through 2024-25 and will have another team option for the following season. The second-year forward started in 17 of his 78 appearances last season and is expected to begin the 2023-24 regular season in the starting lineup.
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Pacers' Bennedict Mathurin: Puts up 14 points Tuesday
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Mathurin recorded 14 points (4-10 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 5-5 FT), five rebounds and an assist across 18 minutes in Tuesday's 122-103 preseason loss to the Rockets.
It's unclear whether Mathurin will be a starter or a bench option once the regular season rolls around, but it's worth noting he led the starting unit in field-goal attempts among starters in this game while logging only 18 minutes. Mathurin had a strong rookie season in 2022-23, and regardless of his role in 2023-24, he should be a fantasy asset in most formats due to his scoring prowess and offensive ability.
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Pacers' Bennedict Mathurin: Fills stat sheet
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Mathurin delivered 18 points (7-13 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), seven rebounds and two assists across 22 minutes Sunday, as the Pacers fell 127-122 in overtime to Memphis.
Mathurin's scoring in limited minutes is symbolic of his aggressive offensive mentality. Mathurin averaged 5.8 free-throw attempts per game last season, which is an elite mark for a rookie. After shooting just 32.3 percent from deep in 2022-23, commanding more respect as a floor spacer will enable his downhill attacking, making it a pivotal trend to monitor this season.
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Pacers' Bennedict Mathurin: Done in Las Vegas
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The Pacers announced Wednesday that Mathurin will sit out the remainder of the Las Vegas Summer League for rest purposes.
Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard and Isaiah Jackson will all sit out the Pacers' remaining games in Las Vegas while the Indiana coaching staff aims to open up more minutes for lesser-established players who may be competing for a two-way and/or Exhibit 10 deals. Over his two appearances this summer, Mathurin averaged 22.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 three-pointers in 33.2 minutes.
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Pacers' Bennedict Mathurin: Struggles to knock down shots
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Mathurin closed Wednesday's 138-129 loss to the Knicks with 17 points (6-17 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 4-6 FT), eight rebounds and four assists over 32 minutes.
Mathurin has started nine straight games, as the Pacers are resting key players to end the season. The rookie has reached double digits in seven of those nine games, but his efficiency fluctuates. Wednesday was a poor shooting day, as he missed a team-high 11 shots. However, Mathurin posted four assists for the first time in 14 games and grabbed eight rebounds. Mathurin isn't likely to help out in multiple categories, but with the Pacers needing someone to score, he could be in line for big games to close out the season.
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Pacers' Bennedict Mathurin: Makes rare blocks contribution
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Mathurin finished Sunday's 115-105 loss to the Cavaliers with 19 points (5-12 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 8-8 FT), nine rebounds and two blocks in 33 minutes.
As has often been the case during his rookie season when he's played extended minutes, Mathurin delivered a strong scoring total highlighted by excellent free-throw shooting. His contributions are typically more limited in just about every other area of the box score, but Mathurin delivered more than usual in both the rebounds and blocks categories. The two rejections are particularly noteworthy, as Mathurin had just 10 total blocks in his previous 74 appearances on the season.
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Pacers' Bennedict Mathurin: Pours in 29 in loss
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Mathurin closed Wednesday's 149-136 loss to the Bucks with 29 points (11-21 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 6-9 FT), nine rebounds, two assists and two steals across 41 minutes.
With each of the Pacers' top three players (Myles Turner, Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield) sitting out with injuries or illnesses, Mathurin once again took on heavy minutes and served as the centerpiece of the offense. He's now put up 55 points on 50 percent shooting from the field and 75 percent shooting from the free-throw line over the Pacers' past two games, and he supplemented the offensive output Wednesday with solid numbers in the rebounds and steals categories. Considering he's averaging 4.0 boards and 0.6 steals per game on the season, Mathurin can't be counted on to regularly contribute in either area, but he should be a strong source of points down the stretch with the likelihood that all of Turner, Haliburton and Hield continue to miss more time.
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Pacers' Bennedict Mathurin: Puts up 26 points in loss
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Mathurin ended Monday's 127-104 loss to the Mavericks with 26 points (9-19 FG, 2-8 3Pt, 6-7 FT), four rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal across 38 minutes.
Mathurin was one of the few bright spots in Indiana's blowout loss, as the rookie was the lone Pacers player to clear 20 points. With all of Tyrese Haliburton (ankle), Buddy Hield (illness) and Myles Turner (back) sitting out, Mathurin got all the usage he could handle, and he could continue to see more offensive responsibility down the stretch. The Pacers currently sit 3.5 games behind the Bulls for the final spot in the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament, meaning all of Haliburton, Hield and Turner could be candidates to miss more time over the final two weeks if Indiana decides to pack it in for the season.
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Pacers' Bennedict Mathurin: Offers little in loss
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Mathurin contributed four points (2-4 FG, 0-1 3Pt), two rebounds, one assist and one steal in 24 minutes during Saturday's 143-130 loss to the Hawks.
Outside of Chris Duarte, Mathurin was the only other Pacer not to score in double digits Saturday. Despite rolling with the opening unit, Mathurin was barely visible, turning in another underwhelming performance. He continues to play through an ongoing ankle injury, and perhaps sitting out Saturday would have been a better option. He remains a viable asset, even in 12-team formats, although we saw here that when his shot isn't falling, he has very little else to fall back on.
