Bennedict Mathurin joins a growing Indiana Pacers franchise.
Prospect Overview
Intriguing swingman with athleticism and shooting ability who was impactful on both ends when he put everything together at the collegiate level.
About Bennedict Mathurin
Bennedict Mathurin is a dangerous jump shooter with impressive leaping ability whose improvement as a sophomore was key to Arizona’s return to prominence. Becoming the first Canadian player to enroll at the NBA Academy Latin American back in 2018, the Montreal native emerged as a prospect relatively late in his prep career and was considered only a fringe top-100 prospect in the high school class of 2020. While he was one of the younger players in the country during his first season at Arizona, the explosive swingman nonetheless exceeded expectations averaging 10.8 points and 4.8 rebounds over 25 minutes per game while shooting 42% from beyond the arc.
Following that up by averaging 16.1 points for Canada at the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup, Mathurin set a high bar for himself as he opted to return to Tucson to play for first-year head coach Tommy Lloyd. His decision paid dividends as he showed marked improvement averaging 17.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists over 32.5 minutes per game to earn Pac-12 Player of the Year and Consensus second-team All-American honors while spearheading the Wildcats’ massive turnaround.
• Measured at 6-foot-6 in shoes with a 205-pound frame and a 6-foot-9 wingspan at the 2022 NBA Draft Combine, Mathurin has nice size for an NBA small forward to go along with impressive speed and explosiveness.
• Playing almost exclusively off the ball as a freshman, Mathurin showed more versatility as a sophomore, still providing value spacing off the ball and athleticism in transition, but creating off the dribble more frequently for himself and others. Showing deep range off the catch, improvement as a pull-up jump shooter, and scoring in bunches when he got hot from the perimeter, the 20-year-old had several massive games this season. Playing above the rim impressively on the move, Mathurin was a force at his best, but had some relatively quiet nights as well having some ups and downs over the course of the season.
• Possessing the length and quickness to more than hold his own defensively, Mathurin was more intense and physical some nights than others as a sophomore.
Advanced Stats
• A talented, still somewhat streaky scorer, Mathurin had an efficient year for how much his role shifted from the spot up-oriented one he played as a freshman to the more well-rounded one he filled as a sophomore. Scoring in bunches when he got rolling showing the ability to make tough shots with range both off the catch and off the dribble and finish athletically in space, he was tremendous on the offensive end when he put it all together.
• Flashing improved consistency off the dribble and taking more shots on the move than he did as a freshman, Mathurin averaged 1.06 points per jump shot [80th percentile]. With his shots coming from a near 50-50 split of catch and shoot jumpers and pull-ups–many of which came in transition, Mathurin’s perimeter game blossomed as a sophomore even if his accuracy dipped somewhat from his freshman year. Looking very sound with his mechanics at times shooting deep spot ups, running into 3-pointers off screens, and even rising into shots off hesitation moves, he scored over 25 points eight times with his production often rooted in his jump shooting.
• Generating around half his shots in the half court around the rim handling the ball some but also serving as the target of Arizona’s occasional flex actions or designed lobs, Mathurin had some productive nights scoring around the basket and getting to the line as well. Averaging 1.37 points per shot around the rim in the half court [87th percentile] but 0.61 points per floater [29th percentile], he thrived when he was taking what defenses gave him.
• Able to play way above the rim in space but not always picking and choosing his spots well in traffic and showing the ability to find the open man on the move for stretches but creating little as a passer in others, Mathurin is still coming into his own in many ways.
Defensive Analysis
• Possessing a strong combination of length and quickness, Mathurin had some nice moments guarding the ball when he was locked in last season but remains early in his development as an off ball defender.
• He was able to make some plays getting in the passing lanes and even blocking shots thanks to his physical gifts when the action came to him, but is still figuring out how to be a consistent difference maker.
Profile by Synergy Sports
