One of the NCAA Tournament’s most exciting games on opening weekend, was the second round matchup between one-seeded Arizona and ninth-seeded TCU. The Horned Frogs battled the heavily-favored WIldcats in a high-scoring affair, that went to overtime, before the higher-seeded team prevailed, 85-80.
The Wildcats were led by high-flying sophomore wing, Bennedict Mathurin who had 30 points on the night, while also grabbing eight boards and dishing out five assists. That game was really where casual basketball fans began to take notice of the exciting Arizona wing.
Mathurin really boosted his stock deciding to return for his sophomore season. He was the star of a very surprising Arizona team, who seemingly stunned many with how good they were with a first-time head coach in Tommy Lloyd.
At this point in the 2022 NBA Draft process, I would say Mathurin is a prospect on a bit of a higher tier than Jaden Hardy and Ochai Agbaji. In all honesty, Mathurin would be the perfect fit for the Cleveland Cavaliers offense, but the problem is he probably won’t be on the board when the Cavs make their pick, unless they get lucky in the lottery.
Either way, Mathurin has the talent and upside to be an All-Star in this league, so you might as well get to know him now.
Bennedict Mathurin Scouting Report
Height/Weight: 6’6,” 210 LBS
2021-2022 Arizona Stats: 17.7 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.5 APG
3-Point/Field Goal/Free Throw: 37%/45%/76%
Honestly, what’s not to like about Mathurin? The Pac-12’s Player of the Year has good size and length, especially for today’s NBA.
He doesn’t have the quick-twitch ability as Hardy does, but he’s still very explosive and has a strong upper body, that allows him to finish strong at the rim. His shooting stroke is quick and compact, allowing him to get the ball in the air quickly. He’s a good not great isolation scorer, but it’s a part of his game that will undoubtedly get better. He uses his upper body to help him get separation for his mid-range game, which is pretty impressive.
On the defensive end, he has all the traits to be a good perimeter defender. His 6’9″ wingspan allows him to get into passing lanes, and into the open floor, where he definitely plays above the rim. His handles need to be refined, but in tight spaces, he’s actually impressive for a player his size.
Surprisingly, Mathurin doesn’t need to add much bulk, as he’s pretty filled out for a wing. However, more bulk will come, and with that, the strength to become a powerful finisher at the rim.
He wasn’t the most efficient shooter in the country, but he was consistent. He hit the deep ball at a 37% clip, which is not quite on-par with AJ Griffin or even Agbaji, but he makes up for it with his mid-range game. As for creating his own shot, like I said his mid-range game is solid, and will improve.
As far as playmaking, he isn’t going to overly impress you with his passing or vision, but he makes plays when he’s on the court. On top of all of that, he’s a very good rebounder for a wing of his size.
The Perfect Fit? Trade Up?
The biggest question surrounding Mathurin and the Cavaliers, has nothing to do with him. The Cavs shocked the rest of the NBA when they displayed their “big” lineup with Lauri Markkanen at the three. If the Cavs like what they saw from Markkanen, and want to stick with something that worked for them a lot of the season, then Mathurin may not be a top priority for the Cavaliers. Unless the Cavaleirs get lucky in the lottery, it’s very unlikely that Mathurin falls to them in the late lottery.
So, potentially moving a couple of assets to move up in the lottery, may not be what the Cavaliers want to do. However, for the sake of this scouting report, let’s just believe the Cavs would rather go back to a more “normal” offensive style in 2022-23.
As I pointed out earlier, Mathurin has great size and length for an NBA wing. Slotting him in the starting lineup with Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen could possibly take the Cavaliers over the top to being one of the true best teams in the Eastern Conference.
With Garland and feasibly a healthy Sexton taking over a majority of the ball-handling (at least with Sexton a good bit), Mathurin would be able to move freely, and come off screens to get open shots. On top of that, we all know how good Collin Sexton is at breaking down defenses via the dribble, and Mathurin and Garland could spot up behind the arc, while Sexton can also look for Mobley or Allen at the rim.
On the defensive end, as I’ve said with most prospects, it’s how much effort they put forth. Mathurin has all the ability, explosion, and size to be a good defender, it’s just how much he’s willing to buy into head coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s defensive philosophy.
As I talked about yesterday, what are those two second-round picks really worth? It’s possible that’s enough capital to move up one spot to take the former Wildcat, with another piece involved potentially. Even though there are possibly some good players to be had in the second round, I think those two second-round picks would be great in some package to move up a bit in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Overall, if you watch Mathurin you can just see that he’s built to be a star at the NBA level. Refining his ball-handling and improving his overall offensive arsenal will be a top priority at the next level. I, along with a lot of the basketball world view Mathurin as just a tier above the other players I’ve wrote about this week.
But, there might be a price to pay for that slight move up. The Cavs would be best suited to make some calls in the coming weeks, to see just how possible it might be to move up a couple slots.
Either way, Bennedict Mathurin is going to be a guy that we will be seeing in the NBA for a long time.