The Indiana Pacers will be an interesting team to watch in the 2025/26 NBA season for obvious reasons.
The Pacers made the Finals last season thanks to a magical playoff run led by superstar Tyrese Haliburton.
Unfortunately, Haliburton ruptured his Achilles tendon in Game 7 and will spend an entire year on the sidelines.
While the Pacers no longer have title aspirations, they will remain optimistic about making the playoffs.
Head coach Rick Carlisle will be relying on significant contributions from several role players for that to happen.
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty ImagesBrian Windhorst names Indiana Pacers player to watch
Windhorst assessed the Indiana Pacers’ situation heading into next season on The Hoop Collective podcast.
Expectations are low without Haliburton, but the Pacers can still make some noise in the Eastern Conference if certain players step up.
Windhorst named Bennedict Mathurin as the Indiana player to look out for after an up-and-down 2024/25 season.
“A big name would be Bennedict Mathurin,” he said. “Mathurin is interesting for two reasons. Mathurin is extension eligible, and it’s unclear how much more the Pacers are going to invest in this roster.
“They certainly drew a line in the sand on Myles Turner, and that sent a message. Of course, because they didn’t spend money on re-signing Myles Turner, in theory, they could have money to extend Bennedict Mathurin.
“But also, Rick Carlisle has come out and said, ‘Bennedict Mathurin will be in the starting lineup.’ He will get this big boost, and so, if he has a big step forward… He may even want to wait to sign.
“He may have a breakout year. He’s a player who has been a bit erratic. We saw in the Finals last year that he had a big game in [the Finals].”
Bennedict Mathurin must earn head coach Rick Carlisle’s trust
Windhorst’s co-host, Tim McMahon, then pointed out that Mathurin had a limited role in the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Despite scoring 27 points in Game 3, Mathurin barely played in Game 4, so it’s hard to believe that Carlisle actually views him as a key player.
“What we saw was Rick Carlisle didn’t fully trust him because he had the huge game in Game 3 when he was 9-12 from the floor and scored 27 in 23 minutes,” McMahon explained. “He only played 14 minutes in the next game.
“So, listen, actions over words. Rick can say he trusts him all he wants, but the guy had a huge game and was a massive factor in a Finals win that gave them the series lead and regained home court advantage, and then, in the very next game, he didn’t play a whole lot.”