Bennedict Mathurin is not wasting much time letting the Indiana Pacers know how valuable he can be for the team. The rookie out of the Arizona Wildcats basketball program posted yet another mesmerizing stat line Saturday night, as he churned out 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field in 31 minutes of action off the bench to lead all scorers in the Pacers' 124-115 home win against the Detroit Pistons.
In addition to his big night, Bennedict Mathurin also put together a feat not seen in Pacers basketball since the days of the legendary Reggie Miller.
Via ESPN Stats & Info:
“Bennedict Mathurin has dropped back-to-back 20 point performances, coming off the bench in both. He joins Reggie Miller (4 straight in 1987) as the only Pacers rookies to score 20+ pts in consecutive games off the bench.”
Bennedict Mathurin made it much easier for the Pacers to survive a quiet night from starting shooting guard Buddy Hield, who only scored six points on 2-of-8 shooting. Mathurin's hot hands also limited the playing time of Hield, who only saw action for 16 minutes. If Mathurin continues his hot start, the Pacers might have a decision to make on whether he should be inserted into the starting unit.
The Pacers will look to strike again while they are hot when they look to score their second win of the season on Monday against the winless Philadelphia 76ers to start a five-game road trip.
Mathurin was selected by the Pacers in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2022 NBA Draft.
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