INDIANAPOLIS – The Pacers welcomed back Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson on Friday night for the first time since the early-February trade that sent the pair to the LA Clippers. Ivica Zubac, the Pacers prize acquisition from that deal, was unavailable for the Pacers. That did nothing to subtract from the emotion that Jackson and Mathurin's return provided.
Before the game even started, both Clippers players were busy – not only with their typical pregame routines but also constant interjections and hellos from former teammates and staffers. Jackson walked on to the court early for his warmup and sat on the scorers table, first talking to Pacers guard Quenton Jackson before a long list of Pacers coaches and staffers stopped by to say hey.
Jenny Boucek gave him a long hug. Jim Boylen stopped for a hi. Micah Potter, who Jackson was loosely competing with for minutes at one point, gave him two huge high fives. That center group was always close.
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I’m happy to see those dudes receive their due appreciation from Pacers fans.
I also can’t WAIT for next year!
I talked to some of their family members (you can probably guess) who said they haven’t even been out to California yet so this is the first time they have even seen each other or been together since the trade— they’ve been dealing with real estate issues here while their family member is living out of a hotel in SoCal.
Let’s not forget these two fine young men — who we watched grow up —are dealing with a brutal business at times, especially when you’re the subject of a midseason trade. And they’ve handled the situation with class.