Bennedict Mathurin reminds everyone what he can be for the Indiana Pacers

DETROIT – The Indiana Pacers lost guard Bennedict Mathurin to injury late last season. The Pacers crushed the Dallas Mavericks in early March and Mathurin had a solid outing. But that night he suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder – his shooting shoulder. He did not play again in 2023/24.

That kept the young ball handler out of his team’s first winning campaign. He was also absent for the postseason and Indiana made a run. They reached the Eastern Conference finals as Mathurin rehabilitated, and while the team had success, they lacked Mathurin’s dynamic skills.

“I think (Mathurin) has seen what it takes to play the way we really want to play, what it takes to be successful in a playoff setting,” Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan said a few weeks ago. He added that Mathurin took in all that information and processed it during the postseason. “I think you’ll see a different side of him this year, really playing and adapting to the way we play.”

Mathurin continues to blend his game with the unique way the Pacers operate. But he is a low-turnover ballhandler who can get to the rim with ease and make plays in a slowed-down environment. That’s the makeup of a player who could add value in the playoffs. And the Pacers happened to play two teams that Mathurin had success against during the regular season in Milwaukee and New York.

Indiana found ways to win two rounds, but their young ball handler was missed. He is an emerging talent as a goalscorer and striker. The Pacers had to look elsewhere for those skills during the final two months of the 2023-24 season.

Mathurin returned to action in Detroit on Wednesday night. The Pacers opened the season against the Pistons and it was Mathurin’s first impact game since March 5. 232 days had passed since he last hit the hardwood.

Bystanders couldn’t tell. The Arizona product looked as good as ever. Mathurin was tremendous in the fourth quarter, changing the makeup of the game with his ability to get off shots and pump energy into an otherwise flat Pacers offense. Indiana trailed by eight minutes with 10:38 to play, but thanks to Mathurin they still managed to win. When he returned he didn’t miss a second.

“Performance? It doesn’t really matter to me, to be honest. I’m just happy we won,” Mathurin said when asked if it meant anything to have a strong performance in Detroit after so much time off. That mentality is important , but without his play the team wouldn’t have won.

Entering the fourth quarter, Mathurin had five points. His head coach, Rick Carlisle, shared that the young guard was pulled from the game after some rough defensive moments earlier in the second half. It was a mediocre night for the 2022 lottery pick to that point.

He owned the fourth quarter. Mathurin made three foul shots in the first minute of the frame, and his ability to get to the free throw line is part of what makes him so special. In retrospect, perhaps that should have been a signal of special things to come.

Less than two minutes later, the 22-year-old took another shot from the foul line. 19 seconds passed before he embarrassed Jaden Ivey with a stepback jumper and drilled him. He had six points in about three minutes to open the fourth quarter, and the Pacers now trailed by just two points.

That was just the beginning. With seven minutes left, Mathurin buried another jumper to give Indiana the lead. That lead felt tenuous until the shooting guard hit a key three with 2:55 left, extending his team’s lead to four. Finally, the Pacers had some breathing room, and Mathurin created almost everything.

“Time of the match,” Mathurin said when asked what changed for him in the final frame. “Just keep the game simple. I know it’s the fourth quarter. We have to run. I need to get a different perspective on the game. Then I flourish.”

He would score two more points as the Pacers erased a double-digit deficit and earned their first win of the season. Mathurin’s late play made it all possible.

In the fourth quarter alone, the young ballhandler finished with 14 points, two rebounds and one assist. He played the entire frame and Indiana defeated Detroit 33-19 during that period. Mathurin made nine free throws in that quarter; his ability to reach the charity stripe has always been almost elite.

“(Bennedict) Mathurin was great in this match. He just has that attitude as an attacker and as a goalscorer,” Carlisle said during the post-match press conference. “I thought he got better defensively as the game went on.”

Mathurin finished the performance with 19 points and six rebounds. Without him, Indiana almost certainly wouldn’t have gotten a win. In the future, the most important thing is that the young guard reminded everyone who exactly he is.

Even on a night when Mathurin was off for a while, he was able to take over the game with his attacking firepower. When a fight slows down, it thrives. On an Indiana team that tries to play fast and keep the ball constantly moving, that change of pace could be valuable.

For Mathurin, consistency is the next step. He saw his team make a postseason run without him, and it’s his job to fit into that system. Moving the ball, defending and making quick decisions will be key to making that happen.

Yet he must also combine those improvements with the gifts that make him a player with a high ceiling. The third-year pro, who will be eligible for a rookie-scale contract extension next season, showed how he can do that on nights when the Pacers are delayed for much of the game.

“Be myself. I work hard, I was away for a while. So the most important thing for me is just to get back into the team,” he said of what he focuses on when the game slows down and the defense focuses on him. “I don’t try to turn people around and say, ‘I’m back.’ I’m just making sure my teammates know I’m willing to do whatever it takes to win.”

Mathurin certainly did that on Wednesday. The Indiana Pacers are 1-0, and their young guard helped everyone remember exactly who he is to secure the victory.