Over his two years as an Arizona Wildcat, Bennedict Mathurin built a reputation for having an internal fire that often was especially visible when it was needed the most.
Such as that monster dunk and 28 other points he threw down in Arizonaβs overtime win over TCU in the NCAA Tournament ... or his 15 trips to the free-throw line against UCLA in the Pac-12 Tournament championship game. ... or maybe the 31 points at Oregon State that Mathurin scored in the first game he started as a freshman.
Mathurin needed only one night to show that drive to the Indiana Pacers.
While hosting Mathurin for a June 10 workout, the Pacers put Mathurin through a “round the world” shooting drill in which prospects are asked to shoot five 3-pointers from five different spots. According to Pacers.com, players can ring a bell if they hit 20 of 25 shots — but Mathurin didn’t make it.
His failure to ring the bell continued to burn even during dinner that evening with Pacers executives. So Mathurin asked if he could return to the gym for another workout.
βWeβve never had a draft prospect come in, finish his workout, then shower and go eat and come back β and want to work out again,β Pacers GM Chad Buchanan said. βThat was a very good sign for us that this guy really likes being in the gym, a great indicator for a guy whoβs got a great path of development.β
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle agreed to accompany Mathurin back to the gym that night and Pacers.com reported that the two spent an hour discussing footwork and other aspects of the game.
βI felt like they really believed in me,β said Bennedict Mathurin of meeting with the Pacers before the draft.
βIt told me a lot about him as a guy that really has a great intellectual curiosity for the game, a real love of the game,β Carlisle told the Pacersβ website. βGuys that have a chance to really succeed and achieve in this league have a real fascination with self discovery and getting better. Heβs one of those guys. I could just tell.β
Less than two weeks later, the Pacers used their No. 6 overall pick to select Mathurin in the NBA Draft.
Hereβs a look at his transition ahead, with comments from the Pacersβ post-draft media conferences:
Salary slot: $5.42 million in 2022-23, $5.69 million in 2023-24. Rookies drafted in first round receive two-year guaranteed contracts that are often raised to the maximum 20% more than their slot, meaning Mathurin will likely earn nearly $13 million over his first two seasons.
Joined by: The Pacers also selected Gonzaga guard Andrew Nembhard with the first pick of the second round (31st overall) and Baylor forward Kendall Brown at 48th.
Potential fit: Mathurin brings some much-needed shooting to the Pacersβ perimeter, where heβll join Tyrese Halliburton. Heβll also be joining a former nemesis from Oregon in guard Chris Duarte, whom the Pacers picked 13th in 2021.
Buchanan says: βHeβs a very driven, tough-minded player whoβs overcome a lot in his life off the court, on the court. Heβs a very feisty bulldog, gritty competitor, and heβs not afraid to challenge his teammates. Heβs not afraid to challenge the opponent. Heβs not gonna back down and as a rookie, you got to have some of those traits to survive in the NBA.
βWe got to know Benn through the draft process and really liked his personality. There was obviously a lot of enthusiasm from his side for us. He looks at our team and sees himself as a great fit, as do we. And coach Carlisle sees a lot of potential in him.β
Mathurin says: βComing back from my sophomore year (to Arizona), I knew there were a lot of things that I needed to improve. I just was betting on myself to improve every day and become a top pick in the draft.
βThe (Pacersβ) staff was really good to me. When I went there for my team workout, I felt like they really believed in me. β¦ Itβs really great having a guy like Tyrese, who likes to pass the ball and just leads the team. β¦
βConversations (with Carlisle) were great. He told me about what he was looking for, what he thinks about me, my potential, and what I could bring to the team.β
