Face of the franchise Tyrese Haliburton will presumably miss the entire 2025-26 season after tearing his Achilles in the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals. Former franchise cornerstone Myles Turner is moving to the other side of Lake Superior after signing with the Milwaukee Bucks. Even still, the Indiana Pacers aren’t heading into next season with their heads down.
Losing Haliburton, a two-time All-NBA selection, hurts in particular. He was more than the starting point guard, he was their offensive engine. However, Indiana has a pair of guards in Andrew Nembhard and TJ McConnell who can soften the blow. They still have combo forward Pascal Siakam, a three-time All-Star who can both score in volume and help with playmaking.
They also have Bennedict Mathurin, who was the sixth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Tyrese Haliburton-Less Pacers Project To Insert Bennedict Mathurin Into Starting Lineup
Throughout Mathurin’s career, his role has been a topic of debate. On the one hand, he was a high draft pick and is consistently productive scorer. On the other hand, he’s been prone to having tunnel vision and defensive lapses. As a result, he’s only started in 85 of the 231 games he’s played (playoffs included).
With that being said, Mathurin has “gradually” begun to basketball IQ and decision making, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle tells Caitlin Cooper of Basketball, She Wrote.
In fact, Carlisle is “projecting him as their starter at 2 this year, on Day 1… I was on the phone with him and his agent four days ago. I said, ‘You’re going to be with the starters on Day 1. It’s your job to lose.”
Also, here’s some breaking news: Rick told me who the Day 1 starter is at the two next season.
Full episode: https://t.co/682Rtp7oVx pic.twitter.com/J84UWuLRac
— Caitlin Cooper (@C2_Cooper) August 5, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
That isn’t to say that the Pacers are turning a blind eye to Mathurin’s weaknesses. They’re just at a point where they’re more willing to accommodate them.
“Our job as coaches is to meld guys like him —that aren’t necessarily seamless fits —into a style that is effective for the rest of the guys,” Carlisle explains, “and bring both forces, hopefully, closer together as time goes on.”
Why Bennedict Mathurin Should Start
Mathurin is a career 34.2 percent 3-point shooter. As a result, there could be quite a few fans wondering why the Pacers would promote him to the first unit. Complicating matters is that Nembhard, McConnell and Siakam are below-average outside shooters. Spacing will be problematic, especially with the departure of Turner, an effective stretch-five.
Yet, Mathurin doesn’t need optimal spacing to be effective, which is one reason he’s even more attractive as the starting shooting guard. Yes, he shoots 37.4 percent on corner 3s. Yes, he made over 39 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3s in 2024-25 (playoffs included).
What he’s best at though is scoring around the rim.
Bennedict Mathurin ‘25 Playoffs tape https://t.co/oGGYw9Dwsq pic.twitter.com/fkjRRZJnBR
— RCsWorld (@RCsWrld) July 12, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
When he’s in the open court, he’s fearless on the attack. In the half court, he’s either slashing or cutting, exhibiting tremendous body control. He’s not averse to crashing the offensive glass for a putback either.
Mathurin’s aggressive mentality, slithery drives, and sheer physicality are a throwback but that may be what the Pacers need right now. With that in mind, he nearly scored as many points (16.1 points per game) as Nembhard and McConnell combined (19.1 points per game) in 2024-25. Given that Haliburton averaged 18.6 points per game last season, that alone is pretty significant.
© Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
The post Hali-Less Pacers Project To Make Major Change To Starting Lineup appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.