Lottery picks are supposed to change the trajectory of an NBA team and the Indiana Pacers are hoping Bennedict Mathurin can help do just that.
The Pacers selected Mathurin with the No. 6 overall pick in this past summer's draft and he recently exploded for 27 points in a home preseason win against the New York Knicks on Wednesday. Following the game, Mathurin expressed his feelings for his new home in a postgame interview with Bally Sports Indiana.
Bennedict Mathurin on his first game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse: "It's great, man. I love it. Indy is my new city, it's my new hometown. I'm really excited. … We got a win. I'm looking forward to coming back on Friday and getting the win again."@PacersJJ | #Pacers pic.twitter.com/el32UNJO3M
— Bally Sports Indiana (@BallySportsIN) October 13, 2022
Mathurin shot 8-13 from the field and went 11-12 from the free-throw line. If this game was any indication of things to come, the Pacers have a very good player on their hands.
Bennedict Mathurin arrives in Indiana having played two seasons at the University of Arizona from 2020-2022. During his sophomore year at Arizona, he took home some prestigious awards. Mathurin was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year, the Pac-12 Tournament MVP and was named to the First team All-Pac-12. He was also a consensus second-team All-American.
His freshman year, he was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team.
Over the course of 63 games at Arizona, Mathurin averaged 14.8 points per game and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from the three-point line. He got to the free-throw line almost five times per game and shot 78.9 percent.
A native of Canada, Mathurin helped the U19 team win a bronze medal at the 2021 World Cup after he was cut from the Olympic roster. He was the first Canadian-born player to attend the NBA Academy in Mexico City.
Follow Us
Subscribe