In his first game at the Intuit Dome, Bennedict Mathurin put his foot down in the most emphatic fashion. It was expected to be another night of Mathurin adapting to the LA Clippers, with the goal being growth, but instead, he took command with 38 points, a franchise record for most in a home debut, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals, suggesting the second unit is his true calling.
Though some players find it difficult to leave an impact right after checking in the middle of the first, Mathurin made it look easy. He caught the flow of the game ridiculously quickly, and when all was said and done in the narrow victory, his performance became part of the history books.
Thus, Mathurin thriving off the bench, though he is easily capable of starting, is very reminiscent of Lou Williams and Jamal Crawford. It will certainly take a second to grow on Clippers fans, yet moving forward, head coach Tyronn Lue should not switch things up.
Bennedict Mathurin, remaining as a backup, will be the hidden key to success
The LA Clippers took down one of the best teams in the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets, without Darius Garland. What brought them the win was not Derrick Jones Jr. or Kawhi Leonard; it was Bennedict Mathurin, who accepted a sixth-man role and embraced it.
Furthermore, Mathurin kept the Nuggets off balance all night, hustled with a relentless motor, and read their weaknesses en route to picture-perfect attacks to the basket. He clearly evaluated the scouting report to the tee.
Now, just imagine life for the Clippers when Garland returns. He will lead the starters with Kawhi Leonard, and when the defense begins to wear out early, Tyronn Lue gets to send Mathurin to the scorers' table to do additional damage. The 23-year-old will be the ultimate secret weapon, directly paving the way for wins.
The fact behind this strategy is that Mathurin saw the Indiana Pacers do the same last season. He was on the bench for 23 regular-season contests, as well as the entire playoffs, and it paid off, as he produced, and Indiana made a trip to the NBA Finals.
That said, leaving Mathurin where he is, at least for the time being, then proceeding accordingly in the offseason, is the Clippers’ best bet to domination. He is the answer to what they have been in dire need of with the second string.