What The Indiana Pacers Missed Without Bennedict Mathurin

The Indiana Pacers recently lost rookie guard Bennedict Mathurin for the first time all season. The talented first-year player missed four games with a right ankle sprain, and he only played for three minutes in the game that the injury actually took place. In essence, the 20-year old missed five straight games.

The Pacers survived an easy schedule and went 3-2 in that stretch, but they did learn a thing or two about what they lose without Mathurin on the court, and those are important data points for a team that is essentially in year one of a rebuild.

Some of the surface-level differences are obvious. Mathurin lives at the free throw line, for example, as he attempts nearly six per game. With him on the court this season, Indiana has taken 5.9 more free throws per 100 possessions than when he is on the bench. He is a driving force behind the team’s ability to get to the charity stripe.

Without the rookie available, the Pacers free throw attempts per game number was down from their season average — it dipped from 23.4 to 22.8, the latter number buoyed by 34 attempts in a win over Detroit. The other four outings were at or below average in terms of Pacers shot attempts from the charity stripe, one of the most efficient plays in basketball.

Below the surface, though, there were some stylistic differences that show how the 2022 sixth overall pick impacts his team and was missed for a short stretch.

“We miss a guy that brings great attitude to the game. In his first year, he is a proven NBA scorer. Being without him for this period, however long it is, is unlucky,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said when asked what his team misses the most with Mathurin sidelined.

The rookie guard drives to the basket 7.4 times per game, which is the third most on the Pacers roster. For a team that pressures the paint at the third-highest rate in the league, losing such a productive attacker is difficult.

On top of compensating for that, the Pacers were also without Tyrese Haliburton for much of their Mathurin-less stretch, which altered their offensive approach even more. They looked to score aggressively at the rim, a strategy that Mathurin would have executed well.

Combine the drives with Mathurin’s ability to play with pace — especially in transition — as well as his talents getting to the rim and it’s clear that Indiana’s offense had to change with the rookie sidelined. They had to speed things up in the halfcourt to give themselves more chances at drives and points.

It mostly worked as the team’s offense didn’t crumble with Mathurin, and Haliburton, out. But such an offensive style is taxing, especially without physical breaks that come from free throw attempts. The Pacers defense suffered as a result of that and losing Mathurin’s nosy on-ball abilities.

The Pacers defensive rating in the five games that Mathurin missed most or all of was 120.8. That is egregiously high. It’s also over four points per 100 possessions higher than the 116.6 defensive rating that Indiana has with Mathurin on the court this season. The rookie still has a long way to go on the less glamorous end of the floor, but the Pacers have a better defensive rating with him on the court than off this season thanks to his peskiness and ability to stylistically add to the team’s ability to get stops. That was evident with him out, the blue and gold gave up at least 115 points in all five outings that Mathurin missed.

Not all of the impacts from Mathurin’s absence were bad. The Pacers shot the ball better from long range, for example, an area where the rookie has been inconsistent. They also averaged 29 assists per game with him out, which is a two assist per game increase over their season average. Mathurin’s passing has improved as the season has progressed, but he still has to grow when it comes to sharing the ball.

Rookies are generally inconsistent, and steady veteran George Hill replaced Mathurin in the rotation during his absence. Such a change, combined with stylistic differences, led to a lower ceiling but higher floor for the Pacers. They missed their effective rookie quite a bit.

On top of missing Mathurin’s impact, Indiana also lost some valuable development time and reps for the rookie. The guard helps the team win and needs playing time to get better. In that way, his absence was painful — the Pacers lost wins and development.

Mathurin returned on Monday in Charlotte and scored 18 points in 30 minutes. He went 7/10 and added three rebounds and two assists. The 20-year old was solid in his return.

Seven of his ten shots came after some form of drive toward the basket. He attempted four free throws and helped re-establish the team’s pace while also grabbing one steal. He looked like himself and didn’t look like he missed any time with an ankle injury.

“Trying to come back for my teammates and hopefully trying to get some wins,” Mathurin said of his return during a halftime interview on the Bally Sports Indiana broadcast of the game.

Mathurin averages nearly 17 points per game and attempts over 12 shots. While he is still a blossoming young player who is building strong habits, he is still tough to replace stylistically and as a scorer. He’s unique.

The Pacers fared well without him, but they learned that it’s hard to keep up a high offensive pace and keep up a high volume of drives without Mathurin’s natural abilities. They also couldn’t get to the foul line as much without their talented rookie. There are ten more games on Indiana’s schedule this season, if Mathurin plays in all of them, it will help his team both acquire wins and develop young talent down the stretch of the ongoing season.