When the Indiana Pacers selected Arizona star Bennedict Mathurin with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, it suggested a massive shift for the franchise. After years of hoping that the Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner front-court duo could carry them, the Pacers are now focusing on going with a two-guard approach.
Just like almost the rest of the NBA has gone, the Pacers now have two dynamic guards to build around. Mathurin joins young star Tyrese Haliburton in Indiana and the duo is expected to be one of the league’s better back-court duos moving forward.
Looking ahead to his future with the Pacers, one NBA scout spoke out about Mathurin and made an extremely bold prediction for him.
“To be honest, I had (Bennedict) Mathurin rated ahead of Jaden Ivey. I had him ahead of Keegan Murray. This pick was a home run for the Pacers. I’m going to go ahead and predict that he wins Rookie of the Year and he wins it easily. He’s the real deal.”
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Wow. Those are words that every single Pacers’ fan will be hanging on to. Mathurin certainly shows off a superstar potential vibe and many believe that he will reach that potential.
During the 2021-22 college basketball season with the Wildcats, Mathurin ended up averaging 17.7 points per game to go along with 5.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists. He shot 45 percent from the floor overall and knocked down 36.9 percent from the three-point line. Those numbers show why the Pacers could not be more excited to add Mathurin to the roster.
Standing in at 6-foot-6 and 210 pounds, Mathurin has great size for an NBA shooting guard. Some believe he could play small forward if needed. Indiana also has their 2021 NBA Draft first-round pick, Chris Duarte, who will play either shooting guard or small forward in their lineup.
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Bennedict Mathurin and Tyrese Haliburton are going to be an extremely entertaining duo to watch for years to come. Fans are going to love what they see in Indiana. The Pacers have finally started moving in the right direction after years stuck in complete mediocrity.
Do you think Mathurin will end up winning the Rookie of the Year award? Whether he does or not, he has superstar potential and has the confidence, swagger, and work ethic to reach all of that potential.
