<!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>

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

<!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-rookie-bennedict-mathurin-breaks-record-set-by-reggie-miller');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin breaks record set by Reggie Miller');   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/2023/01/pacers-news-bennedict-mathurin-breaks-rookie-record-set-by-reggie-miller.jpg"></figure><h1>Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin breaks record set by Reggie Miller</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-01-28T10:13:38-08:00">January 28th, 10:13am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-01-28T11:17:15-08:00">January 28th, 11:17am</time><address><a>Quenton Albertie</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With 31 games remaining in the regular season, Indiana <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pacers-news-bennedict-mathurin-joins-michael-jordan-with-insane-record" rel="noopener">Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin</a> has passed Hall of Fame shooting guard Reggie Miller for the most points off the bench by a rookie in franchise history, with 816.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Bennedict Mathurin passed Reggie Miller for the most points off the bench by a Pacers rookie with 816 points this season.🔥 <a href="https://t.co/aEVrYWaTWl">pic.twitter.com/aEVrYWaTWl</a></p><p>— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Pacers/status/1619372068298190850?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>For reference, Miller played in all 82 games as a rookie, averaging 10.0 points per contest. Mathurin, the sixth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, is <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mathube01.html" rel="noopener">averaging 17.7 points per game</a>.</p><p>Mathurin is already one of the most electrifying players in the league despite only being in the NBA for four months. Charismatic, confident and talented, Mathurin has all of the intangibles necessary to be a star both for the franchise and in the league. Excelling offensively for the Pacers early on thanks to an explosive jab step and a penchant for drawing fouls, the Arizona product is a leader in the Rookie of the Year race.</p><p>Orlando <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/magic-news-paolo-bancheros-incredible-rookie-feat-places-him-as-roy-frontrunner" rel="noopener">Magic forward Paolo Banchero</a>, the first overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, is likely the frontrunner for the ROY award. Banchero has started more games, has a higher scoring average, has a higher assist average and been less streaky than Mathurin.</p><p>Nonetheless, Mathurin isn’t going to make the voting for the award easy. Especially if he keeps accomplishing feats like he did on Friday night.</p><p>After all, if Mathurin is already this far ahead of the curve when compared to arguably the most recognizable name in Pacers history, you can only imagine what’s next for him.</p><p>The guy has been so good this season that he’s also in the race for the Sixth Man of the Year award.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin breaks record set by Reggie Miller

<!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-bennedict-mathurin-joins-michael-jordan-with-insane-record');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin joins Michael Jordan in NBA history with insane feat');   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/2023/01/Pacers-news-Bennedict-Mathurin-joins-Michael-Jordan-in-NBA-history-with-insane-feat.jpg"></figure><h1>Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin joins Michael Jordan in NBA history with insane feat</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-01-16T16:33:41-08:00">January 16th, 4:33pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-01-16T16:33:41-08:00">January 16th, 4:33pm</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>To say that Bennedict Mathurin has been <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pacers-news-bennedict-mathurin-gets-vocal-on-roy-chances-playing-with-tyrese-haliburton" rel="noopener">balling out</a> for the Indiana Pacers this season would be an understatement at this point. The 20-year-old has emerged as one of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/3-reasons-why-bennedict-mathurin-not-paolo-banchero-will-win-roy" rel="noopener">top rookies</a> 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.</p><p>Currently, Mathurin is averaging <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mathube01.html">17.3 points</a> per game for the Pacers. He’s doing it while coming off the bench, too. This makes him the <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAMuse24/status/1615021889998528513" rel="noopener">highest-scoring player</a> 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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin joins Michael Jordan in NBA history with insane feat

<!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-bennedict-mathurin-gets-vocal-on-roy-chances-playing-with-tyrese-haliburton');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bennedict Mathurin gets vocal on ROY chances, playing with Tyrese Haliburton');   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/2022/12/Mathurin.jpg"></figure><h1>Bennedict Mathurin gets vocal on ROY chances, playing with Tyrese Haliburton</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-12-22T16:30:13-08:00">December 22nd, 4:30pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-12-22T16:30:13-08:00">December 22nd, 4:30pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Paolo Banchero may be the favorite for the NBA’s Rookie of the Year Award, but Indiana Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin sure is making things interesting. The No. 6 overall pick in the 2022 draft, Mathurin is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pacers-news-bennedict-mathurin-continues-to-put-paolo-banchero-on-notice-in-roy-race" rel="noopener">making his own case</a> for the award all while coming off the bench. While he has certainly entered his name in the conversation, Mathurin is just <a href="https://www.ballysports.com/national/news/bennedict-mathurin-on-his-rookie-of-the-year-chances-and-the-definition-of-pacer" rel="noopener">focused on</a> making the right play as per Brandon Robinson of Bally Sports.</p><p>“I mean, it comes with it by the way I play. I’m not saying that every night I’ll get 20-25 points,” Mathurin said. “I’m just trying to make the right play, have fun and win the game with my teammates.”</p><p>Bennedict Mathurin has suited up in all 32 games for the Pacers so far and has come off the bench for all but one. In those games, he is putting up 17.5 points per game and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 41.3 percent from the field and 35.1 percent from three-point range. He’s also taking almost six attempts from the free-throw line and converting them at an 81.1 percent clip.</p><p>Back before even summer league, Mathurin made headlines when he made a bold claim about facing off against LeBron James once the season began. He was able to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-gets-heavy-trolling-after-bennedict-mathurin-outshines-him-in-pacers-win" rel="noopener">back up his talk</a> when the two squared off for the first time last month.</p><p>The Pacers have been a surprise team in the Eastern Conference this season and the duo of Mathurin and Tyrese Haliburton is one of the top young duos in the league. Mathurin told Robinson that he can’t really compare Haliburton to any other player.</p><p>“To be honest, I haven’t really seen any. He’s really an unselfish player. He also leads the league in assists (10.7 per game), you know?” Mathurin said. “He’s missed a couple of games, but he STILL leads the league. He’s an amazing player. Very unselfish and a good leader while helping the team stick together.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bennedict Mathurin gets vocal on ROY chances, playing with Tyrese Haliburton

<!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', '/3-reasons-why-bennedict-mathurin-not-paolo-banchero-will-win-roy');   ga('set', 'title', '3 Reasons why Bennedict Mathurin, not Paolo Banchero, will win ROY');   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/2022/12/Mathurin-Banchero.jpg"></figure><h1>3 Reasons why Bennedict Mathurin, not Paolo Banchero, will win ROY</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-12-07T18:36:30-08:00">December 7th, 6:36pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-12-07T18:36:30-08:00">December 7th, 6:36pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>When the 2022-23 season first tipped-off, it appeared as if Paolo Banchero would be the early front-runner for the NBA’s Rookie of the Year Award. During summer league, the Orlando Magic shut him down after only two games, thoroughly impressed with that they had seen. In those two games, he put up close to 20 points per game, five rebounds and six assists. He started out the season on a tear with six straight games of at least 20 points. For franchise that hasn’t had too many things to smile about in recent years, Banchero was the key to getting back to respectability.</p><p>But in Las Vegas, there was another player preparing to take the NBA by storm. Bennedict Mathurin <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-gets-shocking-challenge-from-pacers-rookie-bennedict-mathurin">started a frenzy</a> before he even set foot on an NBA court with his bold stance on matching up against Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James once the season began. A claim like that would certainly put a player under the microscope, but for the most part, Mathurin backed it up with his play in summer league. His numbers may not have been quite on par with Banchero’s, but he did put up 19.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals while shooting 48.8 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from three-point range before the Indiana Pacers decided to hold him out for precautionary reasons due to a toe issue.</p><p>Once the season began, Paolo Banchero was immediately handed the keys to the franchise for the Magic while Bennedict Mathurin was coming off the bench for the Pacers. But through the first three games of the season, Mathurin was averaging more points per game than Banchero. It took Mathurin only seven games before he dropped his first 30 point game. Banchero didn’t hit that mark until his 10th game. And recently, Banchero was out for seven games due to injury which gave Mathurin a huge advantage.</p><p>Paolo Banchero is still the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year Award, but don’t be surprised if Bennedict Mathurin snatches the award away from him. Here’s a couple reasons why.</p><p><b>1. Three-point shooting</b></p><p>In today’s era, three-point shooting is as important as it has ever been. Teams put a premium on being able to knock down the long ball and it’s tough to win in the league now if teams don’t have consistent three-point shooters. As it stands, Mathurin is the better three-point shooter than Banchero. There is enough of a sample size so far to make that claim. Through 24 games, Mathurin is shooting 37.5 percent from three-point range. He’s taking around 5.3 attempts per game. In comparison, Banchero is shooting 24.6 percent from distance and taking around 3.6 attempts per game. And it’s not just the fact that Mathurin is shooting so well from three-point range, it’s how he’s making those shots. He’s not only excelling in catch and shoot situations, but he’s shown an ability to create those shots for himself as well as shoot against closeouts. Their scoring numbers aren’t too far apart with Banchero at 21.7 points and Mathurin at 18.3. A few more made three-pointers and Mathurin could inch closer in scoring.</p><p><b>2. Scoring opportunities</b></p><p>The Pacers knew exactly what they were trading for when they acquired Tyrese Haliburton from the Sacramento Kings last season. Haliburton has emerged as one of the top up and coming point guards in the NBA and through 22 games he’s leading the NBA in assists at 10.9. Simply put, Mathurin is going to see more opportunities to score and get his numbers up with a point guard like Haliburton feeding him the ball. Even though Mathurin is coming off the bench, he plays a lot of minutes with the starters and sees <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tonyeast/2022/11/30/the-early-numbers-behind-the-tyrese-haliburton-and-bennedict-mathurin-pairing/?sh=210edd5c5ad5">a lot of playing time</a> alongside Haliburton. Compare that Banchero who is not playing with as competent a floor general. Banchero’s scoring opportunities are going to come from his own shot creation. Mathurin has also shown he can create with the ball in his hands, he’s just going to get more opportunities to score the ball when he has a real point guard feeding him.</p><p><b>3. Team record</b></p><p>Ordinarily this wouldn’t matter. There have been players who have won Rookie of the Year and have been on bad teams. But if the both players numbers remain similar with the Pacers fighting for a top-four seed in the East, that could tilt the odds towards Mathurin. After all, his numbers are clearly having a major impact on winning. One could argue that Banchero shouldn’t be penalized for not having as good a team around him. But again, if the numbers remain relatively close, that should play a role in the Rookie of the Year voting.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 Reasons why Bennedict Mathurin, not Paolo Banchero, will win ROY

<!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', '/nba-rookie-power-rankings-bennedict-mathurin-top-quarter-mark');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA Rookie Power Rankings: Bennedict Mathurin on top at quarter mark');   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/2022/11/nba-rookie-power-rankings-bennedict-mathurin-on-top-at-quarter-mark.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA Rookie Power Rankings: Bennedict Mathurin on top at quarter mark</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-11-30T10:57:43-08:00">November 30th, 10:57am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-11-30T10:57:43-08:00">November 30th, 10:57am</time><address><a>Guilherme Hiray Leal</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/standings" rel="noopener">2022-23 NBA season</a> has officially hit the quarter mark. We recently looked at our updated <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-mvp-power-rankings-luka-doncic-leads-at-quarter-mark" rel="noopener">NBA MVP Power Rankings</a> for this season, with stars such as Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Stephen Curry leading the way. On the other hand, rookies are trying to show they are the future of the league. Luckily for fans, some of them are doing just that, including Bennedict Mathurin and Paolo Banchero, among others. So, it’s time to update our NBA Rookie Power Rankings.</p><p>Previous NBA Rookie Power Rankings: <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/paolo-banchero-leads-early-2022-23-nba-rookie-power-rankings" rel="noopener">Preseason</a></p><p>Now, here are the 2022-23 NBA Rookie Power Rankings at the season’s quarter mark.</p><h2><b>1. Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana Pacers</b></h2><p>Perhaps the rookie making the most noise in the NBA this year is Bennedict Mathurin. Selected No. 6 by the Indiana Pacers in the most recent draft, the former Arizona Wildcat is showing some personality. In a pre-draft interview, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-gets-shocking-challenge-from-pacers-rookie-bennedict-mathurin" rel="noopener">Mathurin said</a> LeBron James would need to show he was better than him. While the NBA star has a lot on his résumé to make his case, the rookie prevailed in their first matchup by scoring 23 points <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-gets-heavy-trolling-after-bennedict-mathurin-outshines-him-in-pacers-win" rel="noopener">in a one-point victory</a>.</p><p>So far, Mathurin is making a strong case for winning Rookie of the Year on a surprising 12-8 Pacers team. He is averaging 19.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists. He is shooting 43.9% from the field, 41.7% on 3-pointers and 80.5% from the free-throw line. The Pacer leads all rookies in total points with 381 and earns the top spot in these NBA Rookie Power Rankings.</p><h2><b>2. Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic</b></h2><p>The No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, Paolo Banchero is under a lot of pressure and expectations. After a bit more than a month as a pro, the Duke product seems like a cornerstone for the future of the Orlando Magic. He is leading the team in multiple categories, including points per game and minutes, playing 34.8 a contest. While the Magic are only 5-16 and 14th in the Eastern Conference, he has been one of the brightest spots from the rebuilding squad.</p><p>Banchero is recording a rookie-best 22.9 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He is making 46% of his field goal attempts, 27.5% from beyond the arc and 72.9% on free throws. While he has better numbers than Mathurin, Banchero missed seven straight games in November, which is why he’s No. 2 in these NBA Rookie Power Rankings.</p><h2><b>3. Jaden Ivey, Detroit Pistons</b></h2><p>Widely projected to be the fourth pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Jaden Ivey fell to No. 5. After a quarter of the season, it seems the Detroit Pistons may have found a steal. Ivey is showing flashes of athleticism and even playmaking abilities, showing he can play both guard positions. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cade-cunningham-pistons-mulling-difficult-surgery-decision-amid-shin-injury" rel="noopener">With Cade Cunningham out</a>, the youngster should get an even larger opportunity to shine.</p><p>The Purdue product’s averages are 16.2 points, 4.9 boards and 4.3 assists, the latter being the best among rookies. His shooting splits are 42.1% from the field, 31.8% from 3-point land and 73.8% from the free-throw line. Notably, Ivey has recorded three double-doubles this season, including in back-to-back outings versus the Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics.</p><h2><b>4. Keegan Murray, Sacramento Kings</b></h2><p>Considered one of the biggest surprises in the 2022 NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings opted to select Keegan Murray instead of Ivey. Many fans heavily criticized the Kings for the decision, but the rookie quickly showed his selection could turn out to be a good decision. He ended up winning Summer League MVP and is showing signs of potential in the regular season. Sacramento is one of the pleasant surprises of the NBA. At 10-9, the team could finally return to the playoffs, and Murray has been a big part of this early success.</p><p>The power forward began the season off the bench but became a starter after just two games. Murray is averaging 10.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and an assist per contest. He is hitting 40.2% of his field goals, 32.6% from beyond the arc and 83.3% from the free-throw line.</p><h2><b>5. Jabari Smith Jr., Houston Rockets</b></h2><p>Once seen as the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Jabari Smith Jr. fell to the Houston Rockets with the third selection. Smith was mostly considered a project, while Banchero was more of a contributor right away. So far, the former Auburn Tiger is struggling with his shooting efficiency. However, he is showing some flashes on the defensive end, especially in the rebounding aspect.</p><p>Smith has started in all 19 games. His averages are 11.6 points, a rookie-best 7.2 boards and a block a night. He is shooting just 35% from the field, 33.6% from the 3-point line and 85.7% on free throws, so there is plenty of room for improvement in the scoring department. He has recorded three double-doubles and blocked multiple shots in six opportunities to round out the top five if these NBA Rookie Power Rankings.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA Rookie Power Rankings: Bennedict Mathurin on top at quarter mark

<!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', '/lakers-news-lebron-james-gets-heavy-trolling-after-bennedict-mathurin-outshines-him-in-pacers-win');   ga('set', 'title', 'LeBron James gets heavy trolling after Bennedict Mathurin outshines him in Pacers win vs. Lakers');   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/2022/11/Los-Angeles-Lakers-Indiana-Pacers-LeBron-James-Bennedict-Mathurin.jpg"></figure><h1>LeBron James gets heavy trolling after Bennedict Mathurin outshines him in Pacers win vs. Lakers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-11-28T22:40:23-08:00">November 28th, 10:40pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-11-28T22:41:02-08:00">November 28th, 10:41pm</time><address><a>Angelo Guinhawa</a>Angelo Guinhawa is a basketball and soccer/football editor/writer. He uses his background in digital marketing to make sure you get to read his work. He has previously worked for FOX Sports PH and a number of reputable sports media outlets. If he's not writing or watching sports, he's likely scouring online for his next NBA card purchase.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Bennedict Mathurin walked the talk on Monday against the Los Angeles Lakers. In return, it was LeBron James who received the heavy trolling after the Indiana Pacers rookie outshined him.</p><p>For those not in the know, Mathurin went viral before the season started when he said that he doesn’t think anybody is better than him–even LeBron. He went on to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-gets-shocking-challenge-from-pacers-rookie-bennedict-mathurin" rel="noopener">issue a stern challenge</a> to the Lakers star, saying that “He’s going to have to show me he’s better than me.”</p><p>In the first meeting between the Pacers and Lakers, though, the two had quite the battle. In the end, however, Mathurin had the better stats with his 23 points, eight rebounds and one assist to finish +7 on the plus-minus box score. In contrast, LeBron was -7 as he recorded 21 points, seven rebounds and three dimes in the 116-115 loss.</p><p>It wouldn’t have matter had the Lakers won, but they allowed an <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pacers-news-nba-twitter-erupts-after-indiana-rookie-sends-lebron-james-lakers-home-crying-with-a-game-winning-triple" rel="noopener">Andrew Nembhard buzzer-beater to spoil the night</a> and give the Pacers the victory.</p><p>Naturally, the whole NBA Twitter reminded LeBron of Mathurin’s challenge after the contest.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Bennedict Mathurin: 23pts, 8reb, 45 FG% +7 </p><p>LeBron James: 21pts, 7reb, 36 FG% -7</p><p>1-0 Mathurin <a href="https://t.co/TE51FZrFWn">pic.twitter.com/TE51FZrFWn</a></p><p>— csb (@itsCSB__) <a href="https://twitter.com/itsCSB__/status/1597472102474747905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Andrew Nembhard for GAMEEEEEEE!!!!!!! Tyrese Haliburton with a CLUTCH DIME!!!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pacers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pacers</a> rookie Bennedict Mathurin: 23 pts, 10/22 FGs, 3/8 3s, 8 rebs, 1 ast, +7</p><p>LeBron James: 21 pts, 8/22 FGs, 3/10 3s, 7 rebs, 3 asts, -7</p><p>*clears throat*</p><p>BENNEDICT OUTPLAYED LEBRON!! 👀😂 <a href="https://t.co/LZ0w7W80Vc">pic.twitter.com/LZ0w7W80Vc</a></p><p>— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) <a href="https://twitter.com/RomeovilleKid/status/1597472743607631872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Mathurin and LeBron battle was fun! </p><p>Bennedict Mathurin<br>23 PTS<br>8 REBS<br>1 STL<br>+7</p><p>LeBron James<br>21 PTS<br>7 REBS<br>1 STL<br>-7 <a href="https://t.co/K7vxif2tQa">pic.twitter.com/K7vxif2tQa</a></p><p>— Alex Golden (@AlexGoldenNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexGoldenNBA/status/1597472589483749376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Tonight: </p><p>Benn Mathurin: 23 points &amp; 8 rebounds on 45% shooting. </p><p>LeBron James: 21 points &amp; 7 rebounds on 33% shooting. </p><p>There’s a new king in town. 👑 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pacers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pacers</a> <a href="https://t.co/mo4vbcl8lx">pic.twitter.com/mo4vbcl8lx</a></p><p>— Surya (@ayruuus) <a href="https://twitter.com/ayruuus/status/1597471050274844673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>That doesn’t really mean that Bennedict Mathurin is better than LeBron James overall, but hey at least on Monday night, that’s the case.</p><p>“Bennedict Mathurin is better than you by the way [King James],” <a href="https://twitter.com/big_business_/status/1597473595071942656" rel="noopener">one fan tweeted</a>.</p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/xxSnEaKyPxx/status/1597472437955743745" rel="noopener">Another Twitter user said</a>, “LeBron James got called out by a 20 year old rookie. That rookie went into LeBron’s house, outplayed him, and got the win on the second night of a back to back. Bennedict Mathurin is that dude.”</p><p>Sure enough, credit should be given to the Pacers rookie. It would have been better had he been the one to maker the buzzer-beater, but at the end of the day, what matters is they got the W.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

LeBron James gets heavy trolling after Bennedict Mathurin outshines him in Pacers win vs. Lakers

<!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-bennedict-mathurin-backtracks-on-lebron-james-provocation-ahead-of-lakers-clash');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin backtracks on LeBron James hot take ahead of Lakers clash');   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/2022/11/Pacers-news-Bennedict-Mathurin-backtracks-on-LeBron-James-provocation-ahead-of-Lakers-clash.jpg"></figure><h1>Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin backtracks on LeBron James hot take ahead of Lakers clash</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-11-28T17:58:19-08:00">November 28th, 5:58pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-11-28T17:58:19-08:00">November 28th, 5:58pm</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>Indiana Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin has taken the NBA by storm. Some might even go as far as saying that he’s the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pacers-news-bennedict-mathurin-continues-to-put-paolo-banchero-on-notice-in-roy-race">best rookie in his class</a> thus far.</p><p>One thing you can say for sure about Mathurin is that he is not lacking in self-confidence. Even before the season started, the 20-year-old decided to call out none other than Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James. Mathurin earlier <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-gets-shocking-challenge-from-pacers-rookie-bennedict-mathurin">challenged</a> LeBron to prove that he was better than him — a statement that the young guard has now backtracked on ahead of the Pacers’ Monday night matchup against LA.</p><p>For starters, here’s Mathurin’s exact quote about LeBron:</p><p>“A lot of people say he’s great,” Mathurin said previously. “I want to see how great he is. I don’t think anybody is better than me. He’s going to have to show me he’s better than me.”</p><p>Hours before Indiana’s game against LeBron and Co., however, Mathurin opted to fall back on his earlier statement. The Pacers rookie pretty much tried to take back what he said about The King a few months ago:</p><p>“I think he’s the best to ever play,” Mathurin said. “People probably misunderstood what I was trying to say. Me just coming into the league, I won’t say anybody’s better than me. That’s me being confident.”</p><p>There’s definitely something about the prospect of facing off against the great LeBron James for the first time. Bennedict Mathurin clearly felt this same sense of foreboding, which is probably what caused him to do a full 180 on his previous provocation.</p><p>Whether he will admit it or not, I’m pretty sure LeBron has somehow caught wind of Mathurin’s challenge. This will just give him some extra motivation coming into Monday’s contest.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin backtracks on LeBron James hot take ahead of Lakers clash

<!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-bennedict-mathurin-goes-full-stephen-curry-for-pacers-rookie-record-not-seen-in-25-years');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bennedict Mathurin goes full Stephen Curry for Pacers rookie record not seen in 25 years');   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/2022/11/Mathurin-Curry.jpg"></figure><h1>Bennedict Mathurin goes full Stephen Curry for Pacers rookie record not seen in 25 years</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-11-09T18:22:35-08:00">November 9th, 6:22pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-11-09T18:22:35-08:00">November 9th, 6:22pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Bennedict Mathurin has gotten off to a phenomenal start to his NBA career and has firmly vaulted himself into the Rookie of the Year conversation despite coming off the bench. He continued to make an argument for his candidacy on Wednesday after his latest feat against the Denver Nuggets. <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1590520561146658816?s=20&amp;t=xnBXXDryZgETKp1EnvcB0Q">According to ESPN’s Stats and Info</a> Twitter page, Mathurin became the first Indiana Pacers rookie to score 20 points in a half while knocking down at least five three-point shots in the past 25 seasons.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Bennedict Mathurin scored 23 points in the first half tonight, including five 3-pointers.</p><p>He's the first Pacers rookie to score 20 pts and make five 3-pointers in a half over the last 25 seasons. <a href="https://t.co/UODbdlQ8In">pic.twitter.com/UODbdlQ8In</a></p><p>— ESPN Stats &amp; Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1590520561146658816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The No. 6 overall pick in the 2022 draft, Bennedict Mathurin attended high school at the NBA Academy Latin America in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. He spent one season at the University of Arizona before declaring for the draft. He made headlines before even playing a single NBA game when he made <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-gets-shocking-challenge-from-pacers-rookie-bennedict-mathurin">some shocking comments</a> regarding facing off against LeBron James.</p><p>On the season, Mathurin has been the Pacers’ second-leading scorer at 19.7 points per game while coming off the bench in all 10 of the team’s games so far. He’s grabbing 3.7 rebounds and dishing out 2.4 assists. He’s shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 40.3 percent from three-point range. He’s second among rookies in scoring behind only Paolo Banchero and he’s fourth in three-point percentage behind Jake LaRavia, Tari Eason and Shaedon Sharpe.</p><p>In Mathurin and Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers have one of the top young duos in the NBA and the future looks bright. The Pacers are currently 5-5, but if they can sneak above .500 and Mathurin continues to put up these numbers, he could be a lock for the Rookie of the Year Award.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bennedict Mathurin goes full Stephen Curry for Pacers rookie record not seen in 25 years

<!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-bennedict-mathurin-goes-full-reggie-miller-with-indiana-record-in-just-his-third-game/');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bennedict Mathurin goes full Reggie Miller with Pacers record in just his third 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://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Bennedict-Mathurin-Reggie-Miller-Pacers.jpg"></figure><h1>Bennedict Mathurin goes full Reggie Miller with Pacers record in just his third game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-10-22T19:18:15-07:00">October 22nd, 7:18pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-10-22T19:19:07-07:00">October 22nd, 7:19pm</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Bennedict Mathurin is not wasting much time letting the Indiana Pacers know how valuable he can be for the team. The rookie out of the Arizona Wildcats basketball program posted yet another mesmerizing stat line Saturday night, as he churned out 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field in 31 minutes of action off the bench to lead all scorers in the Pacers’ 124-115 home win against the Detroit Pistons.</p><p>In addition to his big night, Bennedict Mathurin also put together a feat not seen in Pacers basketball since the days of the legendary Reggie Miller.</p><p>Via <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1583991272104022019" rel="noopener">ESPN Stats &amp; Info</a>:</p><p>“Bennedict Mathurin has dropped back-to-back 20 point performances, coming off the bench in both. He joins Reggie Miller (4 straight in 1987) as the only Pacers rookies to score 20+ pts in consecutive games off the bench.”</p><p>Bennedict Mathurin made it much easier for the Pacers to survive a quiet night from starting shooting guard Buddy Hield, who only scored six points on 2-of-8 shooting. Mathurin’s hot hands also limited the playing time of Hield, who only saw action for 16 minutes. If Mathurin continues his hot start, the Pacers might have a decision to make on whether he should be inserted into the starting unit.</p><p>The Pacers will look to strike again while they are hot when they look to score their second win of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/indiana-pacers-4-bold-predictions-for-2022-23-nba-season/" rel="noopener">season</a> on Monday against the winless Philadelphia 76ers to start a five-game road trip.</p><p>Mathurin was selected by the Pacers in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2022 NBA Draft.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bennedict Mathurin goes full Reggie Miller with Pacers record in just his third 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-bennedict-mathurins-epic-message-after-27-point-eruption-in-home-debut/');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bennedict Mathurin’s epic message after 27-point eruption in Pacers home debut');   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://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/26FB382A-BC9C-454E-A50E-24512460A6ED.jpeg"></figure><h1>Bennedict Mathurin’s epic message after 27-point eruption in Pacers home debut</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-10-12T21:05:04-07:00">October 12th, 9:05pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-10-12T21:09:55-07:00">October 12th, 9:09pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>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.</p><p>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 <a href="https://twitter.com/ballysportsin/status/1580372924309340161?s=21&amp;t=HkYl6Ia0nEjWokkPjtKZ3A">in a postgame interview</a> with Bally Sports Indiana.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">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."<a href="https://twitter.com/PacersJJ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PacersJJ</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pacers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pacers</a> <a href="https://t.co/el32UNJO3M">pic.twitter.com/el32UNJO3M</a></p><p>— Bally Sports Indiana (@BallySportsIN) <a href="https://twitter.com/BallySportsIN/status/1580372924309340161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>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 href="https://clutchpoints.com/3-bold-predictions-for-bennedict-mathurin-in-his-rookie-season-with-pacers/">a very good player </a>on their hands.</p><p>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.</p><p>His freshman year, he was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
31.0	7.0	2.5	-	-

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
31.0	7.0	2.5	-	-

Bennedict Mathurin news

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