Bennedict Mathurin joined the Pacers from college outfit the Arizona Wildcats, and is already setting the NBA alight.
There are some great names in NBA history, not many greater than:
Michael Jordan: 6 x NBA Champion, 6 x NBA Finals MVP, 5 x NBA MVP, 14 x NBA All Star, 30.1 ppg career average, 6.2 rpg career average
Dominique Wilkins: 9 x NBA All Star, 24.8ppg career average, 6.7 rpg career average
Isiah Thomas: 2 x NBA Champion, 1 x NBA Finals MVP, 12 x NBA All Star, 19.2 ppg career average, 9.3 apg career average
Add into that list the very decent stats of:
Jerry Stackhouse: 2 x NBA All Star, 1 x NBA Rookie First Team, 16.9 ppg and 3.2 rpg career average
So what do those 4 former NBA players have in common?
They each scored a total of at least 72 points in their first 3 NBA career games. Until last night they were the only players to have done this since 1980.
Now four becomes five as Bennedict Mathurin's 27 points in Indiana's 124 victory over Detroit took the young superstar to 72 points.
For a rookie, Mathurin's first 3 games have been impressive, lets take a detailed look
| Game | Points | FGA M/A | 3P M/A | Rebounds | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WAS @ IND (L) | 19 | 7/15 | 3/7 | 7 | 2 |
| SAS @ IND (L) | 26 | 8/15 | 3/6 | 5 | 2 |
| DET @ IND (W) | 27 | 10/18 | 5/8 | 7 | 2 |
We'll keep an eye on Mathurin's stats over the course of his debut NBA Season, we've tipped for former Wildcat as a good value bet for the Rookie of the Year - picking him at odds of 10.00 per season.
