Bennedict Mathurin and the Indiana Pacers have only played two preseason games, but head coach Rick Carlisle has been impressed by what he has seen from the sixth pick in the early going.
Mathurin put up 19 points, five rebounds and one steal in a 131-114 loss on the road to the New York Knicks on Friday. He went 7-of-15 from the field, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, in nearly 18 minutes of work off of the bench.
He was very active on the offensive end, from his timely cuts to hitting from beyond the arc. Mathurin was viewed as a great offensive player in college at Arizona and that has been on display so far.
Mathurin enjoys the opportunity to get better on the court.
The game was fun. We lost but it is a part of learning. It was a great opportunity for me and the guys to get on the court. I’m looking forward to playing many more games.
The performance versus the Knicks follows up a 15-point effort on Wednesday in his preseason debut during a win against the Charlotte Hornets. He was an efficient 5-of-10 from the field in that contest and looked to be decisive on offense.
Mathurin has been highly touted in the past for his work ethic and willingness to learn the game of basketball. It is a trait that has followed him to the NBA and is something Carlisle has noticed.
He has been consistent in terms of his ability to get into the paint, make open shots and make plays. I love his approach. He is a young guy that’s just 20 years old but very mature, very professional in how he goes about his business; very coachable. He wants to be as good as he can be. He wants to be great. An encouraging first two games if you’re just looking at his performance offensively.
Carlisle noted that while Mathurin has been good offensively, he is still developing on defense. It is an area that Mathurin is focusing on in training camp but should improve with more reps and game-time experience as they move forward.
The Pacers have used Mathurin primarily off of the bench so far in preseason and it could be a potential preview of his role to start the season. Given his offensive ability, his presence in the second unit figures to provide a nice scoring punch.
Indiana returns to action on Wednesday once again versus the Knicks.
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Story originally appeared on Rookie Wire