Benedict Maturin has something to prove with LA

LOS ANGELES — The Indiana Pacers traded Benedict Maturin to the LA Clippers at the NBA trade deadline in a package that included Isaiah Jackson and several first-round picks. In return, the Pacers received Ivica Zubac, a player they have coveted since Myles Turner’s surprise departure in free agency.

It was a hefty asking price — aside from draft compensation — for a Pacers team that drafted Maturin sixth overall in the 2022 NBA draft and saw his scoring ability on display every night. As an athletic three-level scorer, Maturin should be able to fit seamlessly into a Clippers team that desperately needs his scoring.

“It’s been great so far,” said Benedict Maturin after the second practice with the LA Clippers on Wednesday afternoon. “You know, I think we have great guys on the team. They’re all pretty familiar with my game. So that helps a lot. I think there’s still a lot to do and a lot to learn with the system, offensively, defensively, and especially off the field.”

Benedict Maturin on practicing with his new Clippers teammates and his form with them:

“It’s been great so far. I think we have great guys on the team. They’re all pretty familiar with my game. So it kind of helps a lot. I think there’s still a lot to do and more… pic.tvitter.com/tFGIPdvUno

— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) February 19, 2026

As great as he has been in his young career, Mathurin has also struggled to get consistent playing time in Indiana. Whether due to Rick Carlisle’s system or simply the need for more catch-and-shoot ability around Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton, Maturin saw his minutes fluctuate during his final season with the Pacers.

Maturin played less than 15 minutes in nine of the Pacers’ 23 playoff games last season and topped 30 minutes in a game just once during the entire postseason. Now that he’s been moved to a new team with a greater need for his goal-scoring abilities, playing time isn’t something he anticipates will be an issue.

“I think it’s just about being myself,” Ben Mathurin added. “I just feel like Ty Lue is going to give me an opportunity to really go out there and play my game without any restrictions. So I think that’s the biggest, that’s the biggest jump for me, especially playing with great players like Kawhi and (Darius Garland) and the rest of the guys on the team, that’s going to allow me to cut back even more.”

Benedict Maturin came out of college touted as a high-flying, athletic shooter, and at 6-foot-5, he has the ability to be a good defender. That end of the floor is something Maturin wants to prove he can do at a high level.

“I would just say my aggressiveness. I think (there are some) wrong narratives about me, that I can’t play defense. But people, people who should know that I play defense, know that I play defense. So I just go out there and do my job on that end of the floor and just be there for my teammates.”

The last two weeks for Maturin and Isaiah Jackson consisted of a trade from Indianapolis to Los Angeles, flights to LA for screenings, meeting with the team in Minneapolis, but no debut until the team arrived in Houston for a back-to-back set. Maturin and Jackson then had the All-Star break to regroup before returning to Los Angeles for practice on Tuesday and Wednesday ahead of back-to-back sets on Thursday and Friday.

Benedict Maturin on what he wants to prove with the Clippers:

“I think just doing it every night, just showing up to work every day. I think the ability to be consistent here is definitely more realistic, just in terms of the role, coming into a new environment. And… pic.twitter.com/pvfsplSoe9

— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) February 19, 2026

“It’s been a lot, man. Like you said, the last two weeks have been a trade. It was the All-Star break, and then I’m back here. So, super, super grateful to really get going in the second half of the season.

“There’s no challenges (with the trade), man. Like I said, I’m very grateful to come and be in the NBA and play, so now it’s just a matter of what I can do to go out there and be the player that I want to be and the player that the team needs to be to win, so it’s just about living and learning.”

In 239 career regular season games, Benedict Maturin averaged 16.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 44.3 percent from the field. Maturin had a career season with the Indiana Pacers before the trade, averaging career highs (17.8), rebounds (5.4) and assists (2.3).

The LA Clippers will begin their schedule after the NBA All-Star break with back-to-back sets against the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers. Benedict Maturin’s new team doesn’t leave the state of California for two weeks, with five games at home and the only away games against the Lakers and Warriors.