Bennedict Mathurin earns Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honor

Dec 1, 2022 - 9:38 PM

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The NBA announced on Thursday afternoon that Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin was named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for October and November.

As the sixth overall pick, Mathurin had to earn the first RoM award of the season and he did so with if impressive numbers off the bench, as the Pacers.com story highlights.

Mathurin, the sixth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft out of the University of Arizona, leads all NBA rookies this season in points scored, 3-pointers made, free throws made and free throw attempts. In addition, he ranks seventh in rebounding average, fifth in assists, second in field goal percentage, second in 3-point percentage and fifth in steals.

Mathurin has yet to start a game, but sits at fifth among rookies in minutes per game and third in total minutes. The rook has produced big numbers off the bench, though, leading all of the NBA in bench scoring at 19.2 points per game.

His role off the bench has been critical to the Pacers 12-9 start, always on attack and able to take a primary scoring role at key points in the game which has made the Pacers a tough contest for all 48 minutes of games. His fierce, competitive nature is always on display and a perfect complement to Tyrese Haliburton.

Mathurin remains a pretty close second in Rookie of the Year odds to Paolo Banchero a race which may come down to availability, as the first RoM award did. Banchero has been impressive early, averaging over 22 points, but the Magic forward missed seven games due to injury after playing heavy minutes out of the gate.

Managing Mathurin’s minutes out of the gate, while also holding him accountable on the defensive end, may end up favoring Maturin throughout the marathon that is the NBA season.

Regardless, congrats to the Rook! Even after a tough road loss like the Pacers took last night in Sac, this crew can brighten your day with good news.