Indiana
Bennedict Mathurin Reminds Everyone What He Can Be For Indiana Pacers
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – DECEMBER 16: Bennedict Mathurin #00 of the Indiana Pacers looks on against … [+]
DETROIT — The Indiana Pacers lost guard Bennedict Mathurin to an injury late last season. The Pacers crushed the Dallas Mavericks in early March, and Mathurin had a solid outing. But he suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder — his shooting shoulder — that night. He didn’t play again in 2023-24.
That kept the young ball handler out for his team’s first winning campaign. He was also absent for the postseason, and Indiana made a run. They reached the Eastern Conference Finals as Mathurin rehabbed, and while the team had success, they were missing Mathurin’s dynamic abilities.
“I think [Mathurin] saw what it takes to play the way we really want to play, what it takes to be successful in a playoffs setting,” Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan said a few weeks ago. He added that Mathurin took all of that information in and processed it during the postseason. “I think you’ll see a different side to him this year that’s really playing and adapting to the way that we play.”
Mathurin is still blending his game with the unique way the Pacers operate. But he’s a low-turnover ball handler who can get to the rim with ease and make plays in a slowed-down setting. That’s the makeup of a player who could add value in the playoffs. And the Pacers happened to play against two teams that Mathurin had success against during the regular season in Milwaukee and New York.
Indiana found ways to win two rounds, but their young ball handler was missed. He’s an emerging talent as a scorer and attacker — the Pacers had to look elsewhere for those skills for the final two months of the 2023-24 season.
Wednesday night, Mathurin returned to action in Detroit. The Pacers opened up the season against the Pistons, and it was Mathurin’s first game with consequences since March 5. 232 days had passed since he last hit the hardwood.
Onlookers weren’t able to tell. The Arizona product looked as good as ever. Mathurin was terrific in the fourth quarter and changed the makeup of the game with his ability to get off shots and pump energy into an otherwise flat Pacers offense. Indiana was down by eight with 10:38 to play, yet they were able to get a win thanks to Mathurin. He didn’t miss a beat upon returning.
“Performance? I don’t really care, to be honest. I’m just happy we got the win,” Mathurin said when asked if it meant anything to have a strong outing in Detroit after so much time off. That mindset is important, but the team wouldn’t have gotten the win without his play.
Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) brings the ball up court against the Detroit Pistons … [+]
Entering the fourth quarter, Mathurin had five points. His head coach, Rick Carlisle, shared that the young guard got pulled from the game after some rough defensive moments earlier in the second half. It was a mediocre night for the 2022 lottery pick to that point.
He owned the fourth quarter. Mathurin flicked in three foul shots in the first minute of the frame, and his ability to get to the free throw line is part of what makes him so special. With the benefit of hindsight, perhaps that should have been a signal of special things to come.
Less than two minutes later, the 22-year old cashed in another shot from the foul line. 19 seconds passed, then he embarrassed Jaden Ivey with a stepback jumper and drilled it. He had six points in about three minutes to open the fourth quarter, and the Pacers were now down by just two.
That was just the beginning. With seven minutes to go, Mathurin buried another jumper to give Indiana a lead. That edge felt flimsy until the shooting guard hit a key three with 2:55 remaining that extended his team’s advantage to four. Finally, the Pacers had some breathing room, and Mathurin created almost all of it.
“Time of the game,” Mathurin said when asked what changed for him in the final frame. “Just keeping the game simple. I know it’s the fourth quarter. We’ve got to make a run. Got to get a different perspective on the game. That’s when I thrive.”
He would score two more points down the stretch as the Pacers erased a double-digit deficit to earn their first win of the season. Mathurin’s late-game play made it all possible.
In just the fourth quarter, the young ball handler finished with 14 points, two rebounds, and one assist. He played the entire frame, and Indiana outscored Detroit 33-19 in the period. Mathurin took nine free throws in that quarter — his ability to get to the charity stripe has always been nearly elite.
Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin, right, takes a shot against Detroit Pistons forward Ron … [+]
“[Bennedict] Mathurin was great in this game. He just has that attitude as an attacker and as a scorer,” Carlisle said during this postgame press conference. “I thought defensively, as the game went along, he got better.”
Mathurin finished the outing with 19 points and six rebounds. Indiana almost certainly wouldn’t have grabbed a victory without him. Going forward, the key takeaway is that the young guard reminded everyone of exactly who he is.
Even on a night where Mathurin was off for some stretches, he could take over the game with his offensive firepower. When a battle slows down, he thrives. On an Indiana team that tries to play fast and keep the ball moving constantly, that change of pace can be valuable.
For Mathurin, the next step is consistency. He saw his team make a postseason run without him, and it’s his job to fit into that system. Moving the ball, defending, and making quick decisions will be key in making that happen.
Yet he also has to blend those improvements with the gifts that make him a high-ceiling player. The third-year pro, who will be eligible for a rookie-scale contract extension next offseason, showcased how he can do that on nights where the Pacers are slowed for much of the game.
“Be myself. I work hard, I was out for a minute. So the main thing for me is just to come back into the team,” he said of what he focuses on when the game slows down and defenses are honing in on him. “I’m not trying to turn people around and say ‘I’m back’. I’m just making sure my teammates know I’m willing to do whatever it takes to win.”
Mathurin certainly did that on Wednesday. The Indiana Pacers are 1-0, and their young guard helped everyone remember exactly who he is to secure the victory.
Indiana Pacers’ Jalen Slawson dribbles during the second half of an NBA preseason basketball game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Pacers plan to sign wing Jalen Slawson to a two-way contract. The 26-year old forward has spent the ongoing campaign with the Pacers G League affiliate franchise, the Noblesville Boom. It’s a one-year pact covering the rest of the 2025-26 season.
Slawson was a second-round pick back in 2023 and spent his rookie season with the Sacramento Kings. That campaign, the Furman product appeared in 12 games and averaged 0.7 points and 0.6 rebounds per game. Since then, he has bounced around between the Orlando Magic and Pacers organizations.
Most of Slawson’s time in the pros has come via the G League. With the Kings and Magic affiliate teams, the forward averaged between 12 and 13 points per game while being a solid passer and rebounder for his position.
That got him a training camp invite with Indiana last fall. Slawson spent all of the 2025 preseason on an Exhibit 10 deal with the Pacers, and he appeared in all four of the team’s tune-up games ahead of the regular season. He averaged 2.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.
Slawson was waived just before the regular season, but the Pacers affiliate team owned his G League rights, and he’s spent the entire season with the Noblesville Boom. That’s where the 6-foot-7 forward has popped – he’s averaging G League career highs of 19.2 points and 5.4 assists per game for the Boom this season, including an improved 34.7% three-point percentage.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – OCTOBER 7: Jules Bernard #14 of the Minnesota Timberwolves dribbles the ball against Jalen Slawson #18 of the Indiana Pacers during the second half of the preseason game at Target Center on October 7, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
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He’s been among Noblesville’s best players this year, and with the team losing many players to injury or overseas opportunities, he has recently become the G League’ club’s top option. Even with more responsibility and attention, Slawson has continued to produce.
Now, he gets a call up to the Pacers via a two-way contract. He’s eligible to be active for 13 of the Pacers final 22 games – two-way contract players are only able to appear in a maximum of 50 games in a league year, and that ratio of games gets prorated if they are signed mid-season.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle had good memories of Slawson’s play for Indiana during the preseason. “ I think he’s an NBA player,” Carlisle said. “He’s had a good year with the Boom and this will be a great opportunity for him to play some games.”
Two-way contracts provide a salary that is half of the NBA’s rookie minimum, which would equate to $636k over the course of a full season. Prorated for the current day on the calendar, that means Slawson will make about $161k on his two-way with Indiana the rest of the season.
Two-way deals have no impact on a team’s salary cap, so the Pacers have no changes to their spending reality. They opened up a two-way spot by converting the contract of Quenton Jackson earlier this weekend.
WHITELAND, Ind. (WISH) — “The Zone” featured highlights from eight high school boys basketball games from across central Indiana on Friday.
Watch highlights of Beech Grove at Whiteland above.
Final Score: Whiteland 89 Beech Grove 61
“The Zone” airs each Friday at 11:08 p.m. Click here to watch ‘The Zone’ for basketball highlights on February 27, 2026.
The Indiana Pacers are hoping to retain their 2026 first-round pick, which is protected 1-4 and 10-30. If the selection lands between 5 and 9, it conveys to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the Ivica Zubac–Bennedict Mathurin trade.
At the top of the 2026 NBA Draft class, three names are consistently labeled as generational talents: AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer and Darryn Peterson.
Indiana would welcome any of the three. The bigger question is whether that feeling would be mutual.
On a recent episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, Simmons was joined by draft analysts Tate Frazier and J. Kyle Mann. During the discussion, Mann shared an interesting note about Peterson.
“I’ve gotten the impression from talking to people close to Darryn,” Mann said, “that Darryn is more likely to say, I’m interested in being the full on brain of this team. I don’t really want to play with another superstar, I want to be the center of the universe.”
J. Kyle Mann on The Bill Simmons Podcast
If that perception holds weight, it creates an intriguing dynamic.
The Pacers were one game away from an NBA championship last season and already feature two established stars in Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam. Indiana is not a franchise searching for a singular identity, it already has one.
To be clear, Mann’s comments reflect conversations and impressions, not a public statement from Peterson himself. Still, the fit is worth examining. Indiana’s backcourt rotation already includes Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith and T.J. McConnell. If Peterson were the pick, the Pacers would find ways to get him on the floor. He is that talented. But Indiana could not offer him an immediate “face of the franchise” role the way a Brooklyn, Sacramento or Washington might.
Mann also offered insight into how Dybantsa may view a situation like Indiana’s.
“AJ, people that know them both have told me that AJ is probably more likely to fit in with an Indiana,” Mann said. “Which is interesting because AJ likes to have the ball. Is he willing to be quick off of the ball with Haliburton? I just think that’s an interesting wrinkle in this.”
J. Kyle Mann on The Bill Simmons Podcast
The contrast is fascinating.
Hearing that Dybantsa would fit in more than Peterson is intriguing. Play style wise, I would lean more towards Peterson’s fitting how Indiana likes to play, especially with how Dybantsa has been utilized at BYU.
If we’re talking locker room fit, I think Dybantsa would embody what a Pacer is all about. Comes from a small market. Wants to win and doesn’t need the big city to do it in. He’s confident but won’t let his ego interfere with the success of the team. Just a levelheaded kid with a desire to be great, and would have one of the best playmaking point guards alongside him to help maximize his talent.
These two are the most polarizing and often mentioned names amongst NBA draft circles when looking at the top two in the class. If the comments made by Mann come to be true, the Pacers would be better off drafting the uber talented 6-9 forward, Dybantsa, than drafting a 6-6 elite shooting guard who would rather be “the guy” than a guy.
You can follow me on X @AlexGoldenNBA and listen to my daily podcast, Setting The Pace, wherever you get your podcasts.
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