2022 NBA Draft: Who are the 10 best prospects in this draft class?
8. Bennedict Mathurin – Arizona Wildcats
6-6 210 lbs. 6-9 WS
37 GP 17.7 ppg 5.6 rpg 2.5 apg 45 FG% 36.9 3pt% 76.4 FT%
Shades of: Andrew Wiggins, Malik Beasley
Mathurin was on my preseason list before the 2021-22 college basketball season for a list of candidates to break out and make some noise. Watching him in the 2021 FIBA u19 World Cup playing for Canada, the sparks of super-scoring were abundant. Mathurin was electric and a tad bit more athletic than the rest of the competition.
The previous season at Arizona I saw Mathurin grow game by game becoming more aware of what he needed to provide offensively. Not to mention with the confidence through the roof, there wasn’t a shot he did not like. Mathurin was a good bet to be a 1st rounder in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Taking that sophomore jump after an inspiring freshman campaign and leading Canada to a bronze medal was evident. It was important Mathurin came out the gate firing. Under new head coach Tommy Lloyd and a roster turnover, Mathurin was going to get the same looks as before. Lloyd was coming from Gonzaga as an assistant coach. Over at Gonzaga, there is a lot of offensive team success. Individually were we going to see the improvements of Mathurin’s game?
After the first 3 so-so games, Mathurin started to make some noise from the Wichita State game (25 points) to the end of the season. While watching him though and maybe this is due to the offensive system that was in place, I started to have skepticism. Most of his shots seemed more difficult than what he was making. Drawing to comparisons at that time, he reminded me of J.R. Smith. A good scorer who loved the outside shot and super athletic off the bounce yet the lack of wiggle was apparent. Someone who also forced the issue on offense a bit too much or when there were times to get another look.
Running with that bias for the majority of the season I couldn’t see the hype anymore. Especially when he started to get top-7 draft buzz. I was like hold on, hold on, what are we doing here. It wasn’t until the game vs. Oregon all the way in February my stance changed.
Mathurin is much more than an athletic swingman. When examining all the little things he brings to a team you can see he is much more valuable than what is given. A hard worker and team competitor. Mathurin slowly became a decent passer over the course of the season. Keeping his head up he was able to find rolling bigs or wings off movement. Although he needs to improve his dribbling skills, Mathurin with more playmaking capabilities makes him more dangerous.
I know a lot of teams had trouble guarding Mathurin due to his constant moving off the ball. Mathurin was able to score off a multitude of looks. Whether it was DHOs, pin downs, off-ball screen action, or backdoor cuts. Mathurin’s quick burst in pockets of spaces makes him a threat from all 3-levels. I don’t worry at all if Mathurin will be a consistent scoring threat at the next level.
We are talking about a guy that shined bright when the lights were the brightest. In the Pac-12 Championship vs. UCLA, he had 27 points off of a barrage of highlight-level scoring. Mathurin reads defenders well knowing when and where to pull off a jumper or to get to the rim. Specifically speaking about the next level, I think Mathurin could be that secondary creator.
Being good off-ball as a non-point guard I think is severely important. Drawing consistent defensive looks and pressure due to his presence can open up the floor for his teammates. Mathurin has a special gravity thanks to his scoring prowess. It’s not everyday you see a wing with 38 dunks, 83 made threes, and shooting over 76% from the line.
In fact, if you filter all the players from the last college basketball season to hit over 80 3s, Mathurin is the first amongst three other players. He’s such an offensive threat that NBA teams drafting early should trust that with the proper dribbling coaches (specifically) he can end up being an All-Star.
Sometimes defensively he can be carried by his athleticism. Which is not a problem at all, it’s just when smarter offensive players attack him he’ll have to learn how to adjust. Screen navigation, being focused, and quick flipping of the hips will be key. Mathurin has the above-average foot speed to compete with quicker guards. He has the length and strength to compete with bigger wings. Mathurin is a hard worker so I trust he will buy-in at the next level defensively. Honestly, making his mark defensively will help him get key minutes.
Mathurin justifies being taken early based on the promising 3-level scoring and potential 2-way superstardom. A lot of his success will come after the small technical things are smoothed out. I’m buying a wing that competes hard. I’m buying the 45/37/76 shooting splits. NBA teams need to take an early look at the athletic wing out of Canada.