Just hours before Bennedict Mathurin sat courtside to watch his former team No. 4 Arizona drop its first game of the season to Utah in Salt Lake City on Thursday, the Indiana Pacers guard was named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month.Β
Mathurin is the first Pacer to earn Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors since Myles Turner in 2016.Β
The sixth-overall pick by the Pacers is currently leading all NBA rookiesΒ in points scored (403), made 3-pointers (48), made free-throws (105) and free-throw attempts (129). He also leads the NBA in bench points, averaging 19.2 points in 28 minutes per game.
the moment Coach Carlisle told the team that Bennedict Mathurin was being named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month.βthis is the kind of thing that happens with an unselfish team.β pic.twitter.com/981PfoIjct
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) December 1, 2022
Mathurin has scored at least 20 points in 11 games this season for Indiana, which has won 11 of its last 16 games since starting 1-4.Β
Mathurin and the Pacers face fellow ex-Wildcat Lauri Markkanen and the Utah Jazz Friday night at 7 p.m.Β