On Tuesday, Indiana Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan spoke at length about soon-to-be third-year guard Bennedict Mathurin . Drafted sixth overall in 2022, it seems like the 22-year-old has already experienced massive highs and lows in his young NBA career. The fact that he was forced to sit out what would’ve been his first playoff season with an injury was even a fitting ending to how last season went.
Mathurin entered 2023-24 with high expectations, but after just 12 games, he lost his starting spot. Pacers’ Chad Buchanan Addresses Bennedict Mathurin’s Role “He wants to feel like he’s contributing,” Buchanan says of Siakam, per the Indianapolis Star’s Dustin Dopirak. “I think he recognizes, ‘Hey, we found a group last year that plays well together.
’ He’s got to figure, ‘Where do I fit into that group. Is it trying to fit in as a starter? Is it being a primary scorer off the bench? What is that role?’ I think a lot of that is determined in training camp. .
.. His role is to be determined, and it’s in his hands.
” Mathurin is in the most awkward position of any Pacers player because of the questions about his best role in Indiana. As a top-10 pick, he’s expected to have a major role in Indiana. To that point, there’s still a feeling that he can be a star .
Averaging 16.7 points per game as a rookie is no small feat. So, should there really be doubts surrounding his viability as a starter? There’s Only One Problem Though floor general Tyres.