The NBA season is not even in its fifth played, but already, some players are reserving a place for the various races for individual trophies. The NBA’s official website has shared his statement of strength for the Rookie of the Year award. A ranking that is currently led by Quebecer Bennedict Mathurin.
Even though he hasn’t gotten a start since joining the NBA, Mathurin is racking up minutes and good performances for the young Indiana Pacers. Certainly a candidate in the discussion for the Sixth man of the year, Mathurin accumulates an average of nearly 20 points per meeting.
While Paolo Banchero was seen as the leader until a few days ago, the latter has dropped in the NBA.com rankings given his absence in the last two games of the Orlando Magic. Even if the first player selected last summer is more productive in general, his number of minutes is also higher than the Quebecer.
Per 36 minutes on the floor, Mathurin still has a better performance than Banchero, with 25.5 PTS (against 24.5).
For now, Jaden Ivey of the Detroit Pistons is Mathurin’s closest pursuer according to the NBA website. Although the Detroit Pistons are still languishing at the bottom of the standings, Ivey has gained ground during Cade Cunningham’s absence.
If he continues on this path, Mathurin could become only the second Canadian to win this trophy. The other winner remains Andrew Wiggins in 2015.
