<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pacers-news-paul-george-compares-bennedict-mathurin-dwyane-wade');   ga('set', 'title', '‘Shade of Dwayne Wade’: Paul George reveals why he absolutely loves Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin’s game');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Shade-of-Dwayne-Wade_-Paul-George-reveals-why-he-absolutely-loves-Pacers-rookie-Bennedict-Mathurin_s-game.jpg"></figure><h1>‘Shade of Dwayne Wade’: Paul George reveals why he absolutely loves Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin’s game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-05-26T17:13:31-07:00">May 26th, 5:13pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-05-26T17:13:31-07:00">May 26th, 5:13pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a>A father of two over-energetic boys, Pao has been a writer for ClutchPoints for many years. His passion lies in all things NBA and he has a knack for speaking his mind in his articles -- even when at times it gets him into trouble with the fans. Controversial? Maybe. Excellent writer? Definitely.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Bennedict Mathurin has been quite the revelation for the Indiana Pacers this past season. He wasn’t exactly Rookie of the Year material (although he did get a total of 27 points in the voting), but there’s no denying that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pacers-trades-no-7-pick-2023-nba-draft" rel="noopener">Pacers</a> have unearthed quite a stud in the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pacers-news-myles-turner-goes-full-savage-on-bennedict-mathurin" rel="noopener">20-year-old guard</a>. So much so, that he’s even caught the eye of former Indiana superstar Paul George.</p><p>In a recent episode of his podcast,<i> Podcast P</i> with Paul George presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment, the Los Angeles Clippers star had nothing but high praise for Mathurin. As a matter of fact, PG even went as far as comparing the Pacers youngster to an NBA legend in Dwyane Wade:</p><p>“I like Bennedit Mathurin. Tough,” George said. “… He tough. He a dog. He got that dog in him. … To me, he’s <a href="https://twitter.com/PodcastPShow/status/1662232144838533120?s=20" rel="noopener">got a shade of D-Wad</a>e in him. That mid-range game, tough, athletic, strong body, savvy, attacking the basket. He’s got a little shade of D-Wade to him.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"He's got a shade of D-Wade in him."</p><p>Pacers got a dog in <a href="https://twitter.com/BennMathurin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BennMathurin</a> 💯 <a href="https://t.co/kQBMQUzkAV">pic.twitter.com/kQBMQUzkAV</a></p><p>— Podcast P with Paul George (@PodcastPShow) <a href="https://twitter.com/PodcastPShow/status/1662232144838533120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Mathurin did not take the NBA by storm as much as Wade did in his rookie year, but to his credit, it’s hard to deny George’s claims about the similarities between the two. Paul George did say “shade of D-Wade” which means that the Pacers shooting guard isn’t in the same light — at least not yet. What cannot be denied, however, is that this young man has a ton of untapped potential in him. Who knows, perhaps Bennedict Mathurin can reach the same heights as Wade did during the latter’s decorated NBA career.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

‘Shade of Dwayne Wade’: Paul George reveals why he absolutely loves Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin’s game

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pacers-news-myles-turner-goes-full-savage-on-bennedict-mathurin');   ga('set', 'title', 'WATCH: Myles Turner, Pacers go full savage on Bennedict Mathurin on last day as rookie');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Pacers_news_Myles_Turner_Indiana_go_full_savage_on_Bennedict_Mathurin_on_last_day_as_rookie.jpg"></figure><h1>WATCH: Myles Turner, Pacers go full savage on Bennedict Mathurin on last day as rookie</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-04-10T16:48:04-07:00">April 10th, 4:48pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-04-10T16:48:04-07:00">April 10th, 4:48pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a>A father of two over-energetic boys, Pao has been a writer for ClutchPoints for many years. His passion lies in all things NBA and he has a knack for speaking his mind in his articles -- even when at times it gets him into trouble with the fans. Controversial? Maybe. Excellent writer? Definitely.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pacers-news-he-is-a-sponge-bennedict-mathurin-receives-eye-opening-praise-from-rick-carlisle" rel="noopener">Bennedict Mathurin</a> had one hell of a rookie campaign for the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pacers-news-im-at-home-myles-turners-heartfelt-message-to-indiana-fans-years-after-trade-rumors" rel="noopener">Indiana Pacers</a> this season. More than a few folks knew coming into the season that the 6-foot-6 small forward was going to make an impact on the squad, but only a select few realized that Mathurin was going to have this type of breakout year in his first season as a pro.</p><p>Well, Myles Turner and the rest of the squad just <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1645563492684951557" rel="noopener">had to make sure</a> that Mathurin’s rookie campaign would end on a high note — at least for them. For Mathurin, though, I’m not sure if this is what he had in mind for his very last day as a rookie:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Myles Turner and the Pacers had Bennedict Mathurin’s car wrapped in plastic on his last day as a rookie 😂😭</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/Original_Turner?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Original_Turner</a> /IG) <a href="https://t.co/r9pOquz7Ew">pic.twitter.com/r9pOquz7Ew</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1645563492684951557?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>It took quite an effort to get that entire car covered in cling wrap, but it is clear that it was worth it. Turner, Tyrese Haliburton, and a few other Pacers players were in attendance — and filming, of course — as they watched Mathurin struggle to comprehend what he had to do in order to get inside his car. One thing you can say for sure is that it’s going to take him some time to get all the plastic off before he can drive home.</p><p>At the end of the clip, Myles Turner did mention something about his doughnuts and how he doesn’t mess around with it. I’m not entirely sure what the context is, but I’m guessing it also had something to do with Bennedict Mathurin’s rookie duties. Either way, Myles just had to teach his young teammate a lesson he won’t forget anytime soon.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

WATCH: Myles Turner, Pacers go full savage on Bennedict Mathurin on last day as rookie

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pacers-news-he-is-a-sponge-bennedict-mathurin-receives-eye-opening-praise-from-rick-carlisle');   ga('set', 'title', '‘He is a sponge’: Bennedict Mathurin receives eye-opening praise from Rick Carlisle');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/He-is-a-sponge_-Bennedict-Mathurin-receives-eye-opening-praise-from-Pacers-HC-Rick-Carlisle.jpeg"></figure><h1>‘He is a sponge’: Bennedict Mathurin receives eye-opening praise from Rick Carlisle</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-03-30T10:25:03-07:00">March 30th, 10:25am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-03-30T10:25:03-07:00">March 30th, 10:25am</time><address><a>Jesse Cinquini</a>23-year-old aspiring sports journalist. Associate NBA editor at ClutchPoints. Staff Writer at SB Nation's CelticsBlog and The Knicks Wall.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Indiana Pacers forward <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pacers-news-rookie-bennedict-mathurin-breaks-record-set-by-reggie-miller" rel="noopener">Bennedict Mathurin</a> has been, without a doubt, one of the most productive rookies in the NBA this season. Mathurin ranks second among all neophytes in points per game (16.6) and ninth in rebounds (4.0). And the rookie put together one of his better performances of the season in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-odds-bucks-pacers-prediction-pick-how-to-watch-3-29-2023" rel="noopener">Wednesday’s game</a> against the Milwaukee Bucks. He scored 29 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the 149-136 Pacers loss.</p><p>Following Mathurin’s scoring display on Wednesday, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle <a href="https://twitter.com/Pacers/status/1641264494058799110?s=20" rel="noopener">threw some eye-opening praise</a> the rookie’s way, per a tweet from the team’s official Twitter account:</p><p>“[Bennedict] Mathurin is learning a lot about playing as a starter in high-level games and what that’s all about. I like his vibe, I like his approach, and I like that fact that he is a sponge for information right now.”</p><p>Mathurin, 20, was selected as the sixth overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft. He’s averaging 16.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.1 blocks, and 1.8 turnovers per game across 73 appearances this season (12 starts).</p><p>The former Arizona star is shooting the ball with great efficiency from the free-throw line in the 2022-23 campaign — Maturin’s current 82.5% free-throw percentage is a sizable improvement from his 76.4% free-throw percentage in his final year at Arizona.</p><p>Seeing as the Pacers are 3.5 games back of the 10th-seeded Bulls with only five games remaining on their regular season schedule, it’s unlikely they’ll make the playoffs this season. But with a core of Mathurin, Tyrese Haliburton, and Myles Turner, the Pacers have an extremely bright future. Don’t be surprised if they make the playoffs next year.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

‘He is a sponge’: Bennedict Mathurin receives eye-opening praise from Rick Carlisle

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/why-paolo-banchero-must-win-2023-rookie-of-the-year-over-jalen-williams-bennedict-mathurin');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Paolo Banchero must win 2023 Rookie of the Year over Jalen Williams, Bennedict Mathurin');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Why-Paolo-Banchero-should-win-Rookie-of-the-Year-over-Jalen-Williams-Bennedict-Mathurin.jpg"></figure><h1>Why Paolo Banchero must win 2023 Rookie of the Year over Jalen Williams, Bennedict Mathurin</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-03-29T22:47:32-07:00">March 29th, 10:47pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-03-29T22:47:32-07:00">March 29th, 10:47pm</time><address><a>Quenton Albertie</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>NBA fans may be tired of the banality of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-tracy-mcgrady-nikola-jokic-vs-joel-embiid-mvp-take-sparks-epic-twitter-buzz" rel="noopener">Most Valuable Player</a> discussion, and rightfully so.</p><p>However, a much more interesting race is being held between the leagues new blood, as the Rookie of the Year award race is becoming as hotly debated as it was last season.</p><p>In fact, in 2021-22, the ROY debate ended with Toronto Raptors point-forward Scottie Barnes award. However, there was a large chorus of voters, media members, and fans that would have preferred to see one of Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham or Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley win it.</p><p>This season appears to be no different, as no matter who is picked, there will be debate.</p><p>Multiple candidates are making a late surge to at least be named to an All-Rookie team, including Oklahoma City Thunder wing Jalen Williams.</p><p>However, there’s really only one guy that should be winning the 2023 Rookie of the Year award: Orlando Magic forward <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/magic-news-paolo-bancheros-epic-tanking-message-after-win-over-nets-will-hype-orlando-fans" rel="noopener">Paolo Banchero</a>.</p><h1>Why Paolo Banchero should win 2023 Rookie of the Year over Jalen Williams, Bennedict Mathurin</h1><p>Banchero, selected with the first overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, hit the ground running and didn’t look back.</p><p>Averaging 19.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game for the season, Banchero averaged 22.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game in October. Fresh out of the gate, Banchero displayed advanced shot-making, shot-creation, playmaking abilities. Truly, Banchero looks like someone that’s already been in the league for years, not just someone who will be.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>Furthermore, despite his defense being questioned prior to the draft, his intensity and focus on that end quickly put concerns about his two-way ability to bed.</p><p>The only rookie that had even close to the start of Banchero was Indiana Pacers wing Bennedict Mathurin, a confident scorer averaging 16.6 points per game on 43.4 percent shooting from the field.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>The sixth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Mathurin averaged 20.4 points per game in October. He was having little trouble getting into the paint or knocking down shots from outside, as he converted 42.9 percent of his 3-point attempts that month.</p><p>Again, what sets Banchero — and to a slightly lesser extent Mathurin — apart from Williams, is that they’ve playing at a high level since the beginning of the season.</p><p>If not for that, the Santa Clara product would have a much better case to win ROY.</p><p>The 12th overall pick in 2022, Williams averages 14.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.4 steals per game for the Thunder. Crafty, lithe, and bouncy, Williams has a prototypical guard skillset. This is particularly apparent as of late, as he’s shooting 46.0 percent from 3-point range since the All-Star Break.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>In fact, Williams has averaged 19.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.7 steals per game post-break.</p><p>For comparison, Banchero is averaging 20.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game since the All-Star Break. Hes doing do on 44.7 percent shooting from the field and 33.3 percent from 3-point range.</p><h2>More numbers, more problems…</h2><p>Counting stats aside, there are <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/isolation" rel="noopener">other numbers that help</a> paint a picture of these players.</p><ul><li><i>Banchero is scoring 0.84 points per possession in isolation in 3.2 possessions per game; 1.06 points per possession in transition in 4.1 possessions per game; and 0.97 points per possession on post-ups in 1.6 possessions per game.</i></li><li><i>Williams is scoring 1.03 points per possession in isolation in 0.9 possessions per game and 1.17 points per possession in transition in 2.7 possessions per game.</i></li><li><i>Mathurin is scoring 0.90 points per possession in isolation in 1.4 possessions per game and 1.19 points per possession in transition in 3.9 possessions per game.</i></li></ul><p>In essence, Williams is the most efficient scorer on the list while Banchero is the diverse. Mathurin though not quite as efficient as J-Dub, is pretty reliable himself. On the defensive end, all three players are active, but Williams is the best at generating turnovers.</p><p>So, the counting stats favor Banchero, offensively.</p><p>The counting stats favor Williams, defensively.</p><p>The consistency favors Banchero.</p><p>The advanced stats favor Williams.</p><p>The tape favors Banchero.</p><p>What’s more, the Magic, Pacers, and Thunder have each won at least 30 games.</p><h2>And the winner is…</h2><p>Williams and Mathurin both deserve to be a first-team All-Rookie selections. However, neither of them has played consistently enough to overtake Banchero for Rookie of the Year.</p><p>If Banchero wins, he’ll be the first former Duke player who earns Rookie of the Year honors since Kyrie Irving.</p><p>The Duke Blue Devils have had four Rookie of the Year winners, including former Magic forward Grant Hill.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Paolo Banchero must win 2023 Rookie of the Year over Jalen Williams, Bennedict Mathurin

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/celtics-news-marcus-smart-confronts-pacers-bennedict-mathurin-after-hit');   ga('set', 'title', 'WATCH: Celtics star Marcus Smart demands explanation from Bennedict Mathurin after painful hit');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Celtics_news_Marcus_Smart_demands_explanation_from_Bennedict_Mathurin_after_painful_hit.jpg"></figure><h1>WATCH: Celtics star Marcus Smart demands explanation from Bennedict Mathurin after painful hit</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-03-24T17:26:42-07:00">March 24th, 5:26pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-03-24T17:26:42-07:00">March 24th, 5:26pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a>A father of two over-energetic boys, Pao has been a writer for ClutchPoints for many years. His passion lies in all things NBA and he has a knack for speaking his mind in his articles -- even when at times it gets him into trouble with the fans. Controversial? Maybe. Excellent writer? Definitely.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s no secret that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sixers-news-evan-turner-bonkers-marcus-smart-joel-embiid-claim-potential-celtics-playoff-series" rel="noopener">Marcus Smart</a> is one of the most outspoken players in the game today. This is why it comes as no surprise that the Boston Celtics star wanted to have words with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pacers-news-rookie-bennedict-mathurin-breaks-record-set-by-reggie-miller" rel="noopener">Bennedict Mathurin</a> after the former got caught with a nasty hit to the mid-section courtesy of the Indiana Pacers rookie’s arm/elbow.</p><p>Smart immediately hit the deck after getting hit, and as soon as he stood up, he <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1639414008116658176" rel="noopener">demanded an explanation</a> from Mathurin:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Marcus Smart took a shot to the stomach from Bennedict Mathurin on this play and both of them exchanged words with each other 👀 <a href="https://t.co/h8WW9EwK4y">pic.twitter.com/h8WW9EwK4y</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1639414008116658176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The referee quickly intervened as he saw a seemingly irate Marcus Smart making his way to Mathurin. Other players then stepped in as they separated the two even before they got too close.</p><p>To be fair to Marcus Smart, he did look relatively calm as he approached Mathurin. It appears that he just wanted to give the young man a bit of a warning about keeping it clean. The Celtics star’s reputation preceded him, though, and everyone was quick to try and prevent a potential scuffle between Smart and Mathurin.</p><p>A lot is on the line for both teams in this one, which could explain the intense nature of the contest. The Celtics are still chasing the top spot in the East with Giannis Anteotkounmpo and the mighty Milwaukee Bucks still 2.5 games ahead of them at the moment. There’s even more motivation for the Pacers, though, as they look to close the gap with the Chicago Bulls for the 10th and final Play-In spot in the conference. Entering Friday’s game, Indiana is 1.5 games behind Chicago in the standings.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2023-24 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
14.5	4.0	2.0	0.2	0.6

2023-24 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
14.5	4.0	2.0	0.2	0.6

Bennedict Mathurin

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WATCH: Celtics star Marcus Smart demands explanation from Bennedict Mathurin after painful hit

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