Benedict Mathurin is mostly known to NBA fans when, in the leadup to the 2022 NBA Draft, he infamously said this about LeBron James: “I don’t think anybody is better than me. He’s going to have to show me he’s better than me.”
Well, LeBron actually is better than Mathurin, but that doesn’t mean the young shooting guard of the Indiana Pacers hasn’t been any good. In fact, the 22-year-old has been pretty good, posting career averages of 15.9 points and 4.5 rebounds a game.
This season, Mathurin is proving to be as reliable as ever, averaging 16.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in the Pacers’ first 34 games. He is also shooting a career-best 46.6% clip from the field and showing a more diverse offensive game next to Indiana’s All-Star point guard, Tyrese Haliburton.
And he’s only going to get better. He has the tools already. He certainly has the confidence. And he has that “dog” in him in that he is a ferocious competitor. Now, he is starting to put it all together.
