Bennedict Mathurin shows efficiency with 38 points

On By Littum

INDIANAPOLIS — Tyrese Haliburton stole a pass from Karl-Anthony Towns, noticed Bennedict Mathurin running alongside him and saw an opportunity to do the kind of thing he used to do with former teammate Buddy Hield.

The Pacers had a 4-on-2 burst with sophomore wing Ben Sheppard running to the right corner, All-Star forward Pascal Siakam coming up the middle to the rim and Mathurin along the slot. Knicks All-NBA guard Jalen Brunson and defensive ace OG Anunoby pedaled and tried to keep up, so Haliburton slowed just enough for Siakam to pass him and force Anunoby to follow him into the lane, then dribbled just inside the 3-pointer. bow to force Brunson to honor the drive. He turned his back to the basket and hit a wide open Mathurin with a short, easy bounce pass at the right elbow. He stopped and stared at Mathurin, sure his 25-footer was going in before the third-year wing even released it, and yelled at him in celebration when it did.

The 3 was Mathurin’s career-high seventh of the night on just nine attempts, giving him a career-high 38 points in a game where the Pacers desperately needed him to step up with five rotation players, two of them starters, out with injuries. It gave Indiana a 13-point lead with 2:07 left en route to a 132-121 victory over the Knicks in an Eastern Conference semifinal rematch, a win that got the Pacers back to 5-5. It was a surprising result given the players the Pacers were missing and the fact that the Knicks beat them by 25 at Madison Square Garden in the second game this season. It was also symbolic of a manifestation of the Pacers’ vision for Mathurin, an immensely talented one-on-one scorer whose edges they’ve tried to hone so he can fit into their hyperkinetic offense. His performance on Sunday was the best sign yet that he is indeed fit.

The shot was just part of what was both the most prolific and most effective performance of Mathurin’s career. He was 13 of 18 overall from the floor and 5 of 6 from the free throw line on Sunday, and also grabbed eight rebounds and blocked a shot. He dished out two assists, turned the ball over just once and posted a +16 plus-minus in 41 minutes, 25 seconds on the floor.

“Benn Mathurin was absolutely breathtaking,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “Efficient. Tough physically … When he gets it going like he did today, he’s a bucket. He’s going to be a bucket.”

The Pacers knew Mathurin was a bucket when they drafted him out of Arizona. That’s why they took the former All-American No. 6 overall in the 2022 draft, making him their first top-nine selection since George McCloud went No. 7 in 1989. He averaged 16.7 points per game as a rookie to become the first player since Rik Smits in 1989 to earn first-team All-Rookie honors.

But it became clear even in that rookie year that the Pacers would be built around Haliburton’s offensive philosophy. The Pacers wanted to run and they wanted the ball to move constantly and throw more passes than any other team in the league. Mathurin sometimes likes to take his time attacking opponents in isolation, and while he often wins those situations, that approach doesn’t always work. He could still drive the ball, but they wanted him to make quicker decisions and take quick catch-and-shoot 3s. Beyond that, they also needed him to be a better defender and rebounder.

The progress last year started when he averaged 14.5 points per game. match and saw his efficiency numbers increase modestly. He shot 37.4% from 3-point range after making just 32.3% from 3 in his rookie season. But they had other pieces like Hield (before he was traded) and forward Aaron Nesmith who fit more seamlessly into the offense, so Mathurin couldn’t hold down a starting job and had to come off the bench. He saw his season end early due to a torn labrum in March. He watched the Pacers’ playoff run from the sidelines, noting that their approach — which produced the top-ranked scoring offense and second-most efficient offense in the NBA — was effective enough to win without him.

Mathurin took that lesson seriously, and it’s been evident, especially in the last five games since he’s been in the starting lineup because of injuries to starting shooting guard Andrew Nembhard and Nesmith. In that stretch, he averaged 23.0 points per game. game, shooting 55.1% from the floor and 60% from 3-point range (12 of 20).

“Obviously he had to sit out last year and he wanted to be on the floor to experience it with us,” Haliburton said. “It was boring not having him out there. You know who he is and how hard he works and how good a scorer and player he is. It’s not a surprise to anyone in the dressing room.”

For part of this stretch, Mathurin has done what he always does, and the Pacers have needed him to play in isolation. Haliburton has struggled, keeping the Pacers’ offense from operating in top gear. Mathurin scored 22 points against Charlotte on Friday when the Pacers scored just 83 as a team. He had 20 on Wednesday against the Magic with 13 of those coming at the free throw line because he drove the ball and drew so much contact.

But Haliburton clicked on Sunday, posting 35 points and 14 assists, allowing Mathurin to show how he could operate in a fast-paced offense where the ball bounced.

Mathurin’s first two 3-pointers were of the catch-and-shoot variety off dishes from Haliburton. He knocked down three more, on which he took exactly two dribbles each, including one coming off a ball screen. His second-quarter step-back 3, where he toyed with the Knicks’ Jericho Sims for five dribbles before pulling up on his right elbow, was the only 3 he hit where the ball really stuck.

The six 2-pointers he made involved similar quick decision-making. He hit two jumpers just above the free throw line that were two-dribble pull-ups. He found open lanes on two other drives for layups, one in transition. He got another layup on a cut through the court and one more on a putback on an offensive rebound. He scored his 38 points without ever seeming to dominate the ball.

“Just making shots,” Mathurin said. “It was going in and I just kept making them. I was able to get the pass from Ty or whoever was looking for me.”

It was the next step in what has been an ongoing development this year. For the season, Mathurin is averaging 19.4 points per game. game on 55.3% shooting including 44.7% from 3-point range, making 19 of 38 attempts in 10 games. He has never shot at a clip that high in the college or professional ranks.

“It doesn’t feel forced,” Siakam said. “It just feels like it’s part of the offense. That’s where his growth comes from, just finding ways to be the killer that he is within what we do. I think tonight was a perfect example of that. He’s a special player. When he gets going like he did today, we just have to get him the ball.”

Carlisle said so much of how Mathurin shoots goes back to how he moves without the ball. The coach has been wary of sprinting down the floor in transition on every possession and noted that was something he also had to call him out on Sunday.

But when Mathurin made the adjustment, it led to more opportunities.

“He’s taking better shots,” Carlisle said when asked if Mathurin’s mechanics have improved. “So if you want to call it mechanics, if you take better shots, your mechanics will look a lot better. You know? His distance is better. His recognition on drives (is better.) Last year, he ended up in the crowds a lot, and the whistle didn’t blow, especially in the second half of the year when they started calling the game differently. He’s a third-year player who’s getting more experienced and reading the game better.”

Mathurin’s defense is showing signs of improvement and his rebounding has been dramatically better. The 6-6, 210-pounder has muscle and athletic explosiveness, but he averaged just 4.1 rebounds as a rookie and 4.0 last season. This year, he’s pulling 6.1 per game, which puts him behind only center Myles Turner and power forward Pascal Siakam.

Mathurin’s growth could not come at a more critical time. The Pacers have struggled to find their form from last season and will be short-handed for at least a few more weeks. Carlisle said in his pregame press conference Sunday that Nesmith is out with his sprained left ankle until at least December and Nembhard is out at least two more weeks. These two have taken on the top two defensive duties on the perimeter the past two seasons. Nesmith has been a strong catch-and-shoot 3-point option and Nembhard has served as a secondary ball-handler to help Haliburton find space to move the ball away.

The Pacers need a lot to make up for their absence, but so far, Mathurin has provided plenty to be the player he and the Pacers hoped he would be.

“I just take what the defense gives me,” Mathurin said, “and shoot the ball with confidence.”