Benedict Maturin wants to become one of the best two-way players in the league

He attacked the circle expecting to get the whistle. But Benedict Maturin missed the mark and missed his only shot of the night early in the 4th quarter against the Spurs. Otherwise a near-perfect night, finishing with 31 points (11/12 shooting including 4/4 from distance) and 4 rebounds in 23 minutes.

« This year it’s more about who I can be as a player, how I fit into the system. I think I’ve done pretty well so far. », judge in the back whose 4th season in the big leagues promises to be special for his team and himself.

In the absence of Tyrese Halliburton, the 23-year-old is finding full time position. But even if he is eagerly awaited in scoring and has to show his offensive qualities, he will also be followed by the staff, who are pushing him to better integrate his palette into Indiana’s collective system, based on sharing the ball and rhythm.

For Benedikt Maturin, this means making decisions faster in the rhythm of the attack so that the ball does not remain “stuck” in his hands for a long time.

His coaches and teammates have already seen progress in this area anyway. Rick Carlisle believes that in this match he took “ good shots » and yes he » read the game very, very well ».

Focus on defense

Andrew Nembhard, for his part, praised Benedict Maturin for “ not keeping the ball “and be” quickly and decisively » when it comes to shooting, penetrating or passing.

« He didn’t miss anything. Everything he sent out came back. He played fast, opened shots and played only in the attack. There wasn’t a lot of unnecessary dribbling, mostly it was just getting into the game, open shots and continuing the game in our style », explains Pascal Siakam.

His teammate believes that playing without the ball is one of his strengths. “ I cut, use my athleticism to get easy points or cut to free up a shot for a teammate » are among his qualities, states the last one who also intends to surrender in defense, to relieve his partner from the “hindsight”.

« That’s what excites me the most. It’s an aspect of my game that if I can raise … I can become one of the best two-way players in the league. This is definitely one of my goals and I am trying to achieve it as soon as possible. “, targets the one who says he tried to keep “ playoff mentality » during the off-season.

« It’s about being more focused on what the team expects from me so that we can win. We’ve obviously lost a great player with Tyrese, but we have plenty of depth in the squad for some to take over. I feel like I have a little more freedom to go out on the field and be myself while still respecting the system. I can’t wait to go out and achieve great things », terms Bennedict Mathurin.

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How to read statistics? MJ = matches played; Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive jump; Tot = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; Points = Points.