Former lottery pick Bennedict Mathurin has been in and out of the Pacers‘ starting lineup in his first three NBA seasons, making 85 starts in 209 total outings. With Tyrese Haliburton out for 2025/26 due to a torn Achilles, the expectation heading into this fall is that Mathurin will be Indiana’s full-time starting shooting guard, head coach Rick Carlisle told Caitlin Cooper of Basketball, She Wrote (YouTube link).
“I’ll break the news right here: I’m projecting him as our starter at two this year,” Carlisle said of Mathurin (Twitter video clip). “I’ve told him this. I was on the phone with him and his agent four days ago and I said, ‘You’re going to be with the starters on day one. It’s your job to lose.'”
After being drafted sixth overall out of Arizona in 2022, Mathurin showed off impressive scoring ability as a rookie, averaging 16.7 points per game and earning Rookie of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year votes in ’22/23. The 6’5″ wing missed part of his second year due to a shoulder injury before returning this past season to put up 16.1 PPG with a career-best 45.8% field goal percentage.
Speaking to Cooper, Carlisle raved about Mathurin’s knack for getting to the free throw line and his ability to put the ball in the basket. However, he noted that other aspects of the 23-year-old’s game – including his passing, his quick decision making, and his fit in the Pacers’ system – are still works in progress.
“Our job as coaches is to meld guys like him that aren’t necessarily seamless fits into a style that is effective for the rest of the guys, and bring both forces hopefully closer together as time goes on,” Carlisle said.
Carlisle spoke in March about the Pacers’ ongoing efforts to incorporate Mathurin’s more ball-dominant, one-on-one style within the movement-oriented flow of a Haliburton-led offense. With Haliburton ruled out for all of 2025/26, Mathurin will take on increased responsibilities offensively and may have more freedom to try to score however he can.
It will be interesting to see how Mathurin’s growing importance in Indiana this fall will influence contract talks between his camp and the Pacers. The Canadian swingman will be eligible for a rookie scale extension up until October 20 and it could be a challenge for the two sides to reach an agreement on a long-term deal, given the way Mathurin’s role has fluctuated in the past and the fact that he could be well positioned for a career year in 2025/26.
Mathurin will earn roughly $9.2MM in the final year of his rookie contract. If he and the Pacers don’t work out an extension before the season, he’d be eligible for a qualifying offer of nearly $12.3MM next summer, assuming he meets the starter criteria.
Huh? Another ball-dominant scorer having difficulty in an offense that stresses ball movement. Where have I heard that before.
It does sound familiar, doesn’t it!?
Imagine if that “other” coach had the self-confidence and rapport with young players that Rick Carlisle presents, below. Oh, I forgot ! That “other” coach just announced publicly that he had no interest in that approach.
“Our job as coaches is to meld guys like him that aren’t necessarily seamless fits into a style that is effective for the rest of the guys, and bring both forces hopefully closer together as time goes on,” Carlisle said.
So this is a warriors thread now….fantastic, lols.