The front office expected that Jamahl Mosley's New Orleans Pelicans would need Bennedict Mathurin to reinvent parts of his game to fit next to Zion Williamson. Now, another injury to Dejounte Murray could force the former lottery pick to accelerate that transformation before the regular season even begins. What initially looked like an opportunity to establish himself as a reliable scoring option has quickly evolved into a much larger responsibility.
With Murray (toe contusion) sidelined, Mathurin could find himself handling additional ball-handling and facilitating duties while being asked to defend opposing guards more consistently. That is a substantial departure from a role built primarily around putting pressure on defenses as a scorer.
Fortunately for Mosley, the 24-year-old reclamation project seems more interested in establishing a winning culture than chasing individual statistics.
“I think my individual success comes within the team success. You know what I’m saying? Obviously, the team going to the playoffs brings everybody’s value up,” Mathurin told ClutchPoints. “It brings everybody up; everybody feels better.”
Mathurin understands that meaningful games in April and May would do far more for his reputation than another season of impressive scoring numbers on a struggling team.
Article Continues Below“When you're playing in the playoffs, you're playing when some other guys are not playing anymore, it makes you feel better about yourself and about the team,” Mathurin said. “For me, it’s not an individual goal. My individual goal is just to be healthy, you know what I’m saying? Just to play 82 games, going out there and giving my all every single game.”
The Pelicans were hoping Mathurin would emerge as one of the season's pleasant surprises with the Pelicans. Murray's latest setback might make that development a necessity rather than a luxury. Whether the burden accelerates a breakout season or reinforces some scouting report limitations will depend on how quickly Mathurin adapts to a role that demands more than scoring.