Her cinnamon roll cookies were a hit internally. In recent weeks, the Pacers have been able to discover other facets of Bennedict Mathurin, including his cooking skills. “ I received good feedback », smiles the 21-year-old winger, in his last interview of the season.
Forgotten in recent weeks, the Montreal native was largely absent from the Pacers' playoff campaign. Hit in the shoulder at the beginning of March, he was forced to throw in the towel for the rest of the season. Before that, he was still the fourth best scorer on the team with 14.5 points per game.
Standing on the sidelines while his teammates stormed all the way to the conference finals? “ It was hard. It was harder than I expected, honestly. Watching the playoffs, seeing the guys having fun, being on the field and fighting at the highest level, it was tough, for sure. But I think there's a positive side to watching the guys play. This clearly motivates me for next season », he testifies.
The day he was injured on the Mavs floor, after a clash with PJ Washington, he had difficulty getting used to the idea of having to leave the court. “ I think I watch too many Kobe videos (Bryant),” he says, imagining himself, like what the former Lakers legend was able to do, remaining in the game despite his injury.
The opportunity to get closer to your teammates
After making up his mind, he moved on to the pool table, starting a long period of inactivity. A particularly difficult experience for this young player, who was itching to reach out to his teammates, but rich in lessons. Particularly in his relationship with others.
“ That's what was most important for me and what made me progress the most was expressing myself a little more to my teammates. They know what I do on the pitch. I am very competitive, sometimes too much. It makes it seem like I'm not the best teammate. Being injured helped me a lot. […] It gave me the opportunity to get a little closer to them », Continues Bennedict Mathurin.
In the game, he already had the feeling of having progressed alongside them, particularly in terms of the confidence given and the fact that the ball could come back to him. “ Being able to trust my teammates was the most important thing for me. » This progress thus resulted in a second year that was less dense in terms of “scoring”, but overall cleaner in terms of shooting skills and ball in hand.
“ I play with the team, I buy into it and I do what's good for the team. That was the most important aspect for me this season, playing within the system, having fun with my teammates and just playing at the highest level. I feel like I did a good job, much better than my rookie season », he judges.
It remains to confirm these good intentions next year, while Rick Carlisle already sees the potential of a future All-Star in him.
| Bennedict Mathurin | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2022-23 | IND | 78 | 29 | 43.4 | 32.3 | 82.8 | 1.1 | 3.0 | 4.1 | 1.5 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 16.7 |
| 2023-24 | IND | 59 | 26 | 44.6 | 37.4 | 82.1 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 14.5 |
| Total | 137 | 28 | 43.9 | 34.4 | 82.6 | 1.1 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 15.8 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
