To say that Bennedict Mathurin has been balling out for the Indiana Pacers this season would be an understatement at this point. The 20-year-old has emerged as one of the top rookies in his class thus far, and the fact that he's now joined the great Michael Jordan on a two-man NBA shortlist speaks volumes of just how good Mathurin has been this year.
Currently, Mathurin is averaging 17.3 points per game for the Pacers. He's doing it while coming off the bench, too. This makes him the highest-scoring player off the bench in NBA history with at least 30 games played. MJ, who came off the bench for the Wizards multiple times during the latter part of his career, only averaged 16.7 points per contest as part of the second unit. This feat from Mathurin now makes him the undisputed GOAT, no doubt.
Kidding aside, there's no denying that Mathurin has a ton of potential in him. He likely won't be contending for the GOAT title anytime soon, but he's an absolute gem for the Pacers. Right now, the 6-foot-6 swingman (he also shares the same height as MJ, by the way!) is proving exactly why Indiana used their No. 6 overall pick on him during the 2023 NBA Draft.
At the moment, Mathurin is second in the Rookie of the Year race. Orlando Magic stud Paolo Banchero is still the favorite to bag the coveted ROY title, but Bennedict Mathurin has certainly been making a lot of noise so far this season.
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