Clippers have learned brutal Bennedict Mathurin lesson Pacers already knew
Bennedict Mathurin had his ups and downs throughout his time with the Indiana Pacers. Sometimes, he appeared like the perfect participant on the court docket and was borderline unstoppable. But different occasions, he would go 0-for-10 from the sector, make poor selections, and play unhealthy protection.
This is in the end what led to Indiana deciding to not signal him to a brand new deal this upcoming summer season and as a substitute buying and selling him to the Los Angeles Clippers for Ivica Zubac. And now, simply a few months after the commerce, Mathurin’s new crew is seeing firsthand simply how unhealthy it might get when he isn’t on his A-game.
Bennedict Mathurin has struggled drastically in his current performances
The Canadian native ended the common season with a bang, recording 20 factors on 7-for-17 taking pictures, 9 rebounds, eight assists, and a block in Los Angeles’ 115-110 victory towards the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.
But in his video games earlier than that, it was a totally totally different story.
In his final 10 video games earlier than Sunday’s finale, Mathurin averaged 13 factors, 4.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1 steal, and a pair of turnovers whereas taking pictures 41% from the sector and 21.1% from deep. This consists of 4 video games of scoring fewer than 10 factors (together with zero in 5 minutes towards the Portland Trail Blazers on Apr. 10). Additionally, Clippers followers have even been complaining about him being too passive.
It’s truthful to imagine that the Arizona alum is both simply in a stoop (everyone is aware of he might be higher than this) or continues to be coping with the toe damage that pressured him to overlook practically a month with the Pacers and 4 video games with the Clippers. Regardless, the ups and downs are nothing new for Mathurin, and relying on how he performs within the Play-In Tournament, his future won’t be in Los Angeles both.
In a current episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” Zach Lowe talked about that Mathurin’s play has not solely damage the commerce, however it might have additionally damage its worth heading into his restricted free company, and he questions Whether the Clippers will even re-sign him.
“Mathurin slumped to the finish line, [and] has hurt both that trade for now and also its value in the offseason. It would be interesting to see if the Clippers even re-sign him if the number gets to a point where they are not comfortable with it,” Lowe stated.
To be truthful, the pros have mostly outweighed the cons for Mathurin throughout his quick Clippers tenure. He is averaging 17.4 factors, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1 steal whereas taking pictures 42.6% from the sector and 20.7% from past the arc (his effectivity, admittedly, continues to be a little bit of a priority) and is usually trying like a extra well-rounded participant. Or, at the least, he’s making an attempt to grow to be one.
The 23-year-old has an attention-grabbing and necessary offseason forward of him. And with doubtlessly only one extra recreation left to play this season, he must remind the Clippers why they traded for him within the first place.
