Pacers News: Bennedict Mathurin On Pace to Win Major Season Award

Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin is on track to win a major award this season.

Nov 15, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) shoots the ball while Miami Heat forward Kevin Love (42) defends in the first quarter at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

After falling to the Milwaukee Bucks in their 2024 Emirates NBA Cup clash on Friday night, the 6-10 Indiana Pacers have plummeted to the No. 11 seed in the Eastern Conference.

This is far off of what fans were expecting after Indiana made it to last season's Eastern Conference Finals, ultimately losing to the future NBA champion Boston Celtics.

That being said, there is a glimmer of hope on the team with shooting guard/small forward Bennedict Mathurin, who is now in his third season in the NBA.

Mathurin is currently the second-best scorer on the team, averaging 18.8 points per game across 15 games. Additionally, he is recording 6.6 total rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 0.6 steals per game.

This includes an exciting win over the New York Knicks where Mathurin recorded 38 points, eight total rebounds, two assists, and a block.

This not only makes Mathurin one of the most important players on the Pacers roster, but also a current favorite to win NBA Most Improved Player according to Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports.

"Mathurin was a volume scorer plagued by inconsistency, but he appears to be turning a corner this season,"O'Connor said. "He’s still relentlessly attacking the rim but finishing at a higher clip and shooting career-best numbers from deep."

"There’s a maturity to his game now — Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle credits his improved shot selection, and Mathurin looks noticeably more locked in on defense as well."

O'Connor is not wrong. Last season, Mathurin was averaging 14.5 points, four total rebounds, and two assists across 59 games, a third of which he started. Now, he is a key player for Indiana's success.

While Mathurin is making his name known, there are two other players that O'Connor places ahead of the Indiana guard: Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun and Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly.

Braun is averaging 16.2 points, 5.3 total rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game while Coulibaly is averaging 14.8 points, 5.8 total rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.3 steals per game.

While Mathurin is currently scoring and rebounding more than either of these players, there is an argument that Braun and Coulibaly technically improved more from the last year.

Still, we are only a month into the 2024-25 NBA season. There is still a lot of basketball to play, and Mathurin has an excellent opportunity to clinch this highly sought-after honor.

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