Bennedict Mathurin returns for Indiana Pacers with 18 point outing against Charlotte Hornets

Mathurin missed the first four games of his career with a sprained ankle

Indiana Pacers rookie guard Bennedict Mathurin returned from injury on Monday night against the Charlotte Hornets.

The 2022 sixth overall pick, who had played in the first 67 games of the season for the Pacers, sprained his right ankle on March 9 against the Houston Rockets. He rolled the ankle after driving to the basket and was down on the hardwood for a few minutes before being carried to the locker room. The injury took place in the first quarter, and Mathurin missed the rest of the game.

The rookie went on to miss Indiana's next four outings, which spanned 11 days, meaning he played for just three minutes of game action over a five-game span. The Pacers missed his scoring contributions.

On Monday, when Indiana battled Charlotte, Mathurin returned. He started, too, for just the seventh time this season as Tyrese Haliburton remained sidelined. 

Mathurin didn't look like he ever sat out. He had seven points in the first quarter and went 3/4 from the field, and the guard had nine points, one rebound, and one steal by halftime. It was difficult to tell that he missed his first professional games leading up to the outing.

"Pretty good," Mathurin said of how his ankle felt at halftime on the Bally Sports Indiana broadcast. "Like Rick [Carlisle] said, I tried to come back as early as I could, but also as healthy as I could," he added, alluding to the fact that head coach Rick Carlisle praised his work to get back on the floor.

"Just trying to put in work. Trying to come back for my teammates and hopefully trying to get some wins," Mathurin added. He noted that the team would have to make the simple plays and perform better on defense in the second half if they were going to win.

That didn't happen as the Pacers finished the game with 21 turnovers and 115 points allowed. Carlisle stressed the carelessness of his team postgame. They fell to the Hornets, though Mathurin was solid — he had 18 points, three rebounds, and two assists on 7/10 shooting.

Mathurin noted at morning shootaround that his rehab was good and that he was eager to rejoin his teammates, per a video posted by the Pacers. It only took him about 10 days to recover from the ankle sprain and get back on the court.

Indiana has 10 games left this season, and they are barely hanging on to a chance to reach the play-in tournament. Mathurin playing well down the stretch will be important for the blue and gold is imperative, both for his development and for their goals this season.

Mathurin is off the injury report ahead of the Pacers' battle with the Raptors on Wednesday, so he appears to have fully recovered from the injury. He will look to have another quality outing in Toronto tomorrow.

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