Benny throwdown as we get closer to opening day.

Certainly, the player with the most to gain this upcoming season is Bennedict Mathurin. Still only 23 years of age, he's still got plenty of room for development. He's got all the talent and instincts as a prolific scorer. It's the tug and pull between doing what he does best and also playing within the Pacers system of organized chaos.

In moments last year, he was a spark plug off the bench. His ability to be methodical and dominate matchups was a nice counter to what the Pacers usually do offensively (look at game 3 of the Finals, for example). Other times, he could get a little ball-stoppy, draining time on the shot clock and ultimately being forced into a tough shot. I think he did improve a lot in terms of playing within a role offensively as the year progressed, and it will be interesting to see how it continues as the starting 2 guard.

I also think he has the athletic upside to be a top notch defender. We've seen flashes of beautiful chase down blocks and defensive rebounding. The real question is if he can provide the goods as an on ball defender and screen navigator.

Lets have a year, Benny Boi.

-WhataMark