The surprising trade acquisition is already transforming the Clippers' offense.
The Los Angeles Clippers pulled off one of the more surprising deadline moves in recent memory when they shipped starting center Ivica Zubac and Kobe Brown to the Indiana Pacers for Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, two first-round picks and a second-round pick.
It was the kind of deal that made you scratch your head at first, but five games into Mathurin's time with the Clippers, it is starting to look like a steal.
On this latest episode of The Roundtable Roundup podcast, we broke down just how much Mathurin has already changed the look of this team and what his long-term fit could be alongside Kawhi Leonard and the rest of the roster.
You can check out more of that breakdown and how the Clippers' deadline moves have played out over at Roundtable.
Making an Instant Impact
Mathurin was having a career year in Indiana before the trade, putting up 17.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game, and the 23-year-old has only gotten better since coming to Los Angeles.
In five games with the Clippers, Mathurin is averaging 22.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.4 steals while shooting a strong 88.5 percent from the free throw line on the season.
His best performance came in his first home game at Intuit Dome, when he went off for a career-high-tying 38 points on 12-of-22 shooting in a 115-114 win over the Denver Nuggets that set a franchise record for most points in a home debut.
He followed that up with 26 points against the Los Angeles Lakers and 21 points, nine rebounds and five assists against the Orlando Magic, showing that the Denver game was not just a one-night thing.
The Clippers sit at 27-30 on the season after Sunday's close loss to the Magic, but they have gone 21-9 since their rough 6-21 start and have been one of the better teams in the NBA over the past two and a half months.
Mathurin has given them another scoring option they badly needed, and his willingness to attack the basket and get to the free throw line has added a new layer to the offense that was not there before.
The Perfect Fit Next to Darius Garland
What makes Mathurin's arrival even more exciting is the fact that Darius Garland, who came over from Cleveland in the James Harden deal, has yet to make his Clippers debut while recovering from a toe injury.
Garland averaged 18.0 points and 6.9 assists per game with the Cavaliers this season before the trade, and his return is expected sometime in March.
When he finally gets on the floor, the combination of Garland's playmaking and Mathurin's scoring instincts could give the Clippers one of the more dangerous backcourt-wing duos in the Western Conference.
Garland is at his best when he has shooters and scorers around him who can capitalize on his ability to break down defenses, and Mathurin fits that profile perfectly since he can play off the ball, attack closeouts and create for himself when the shot clock winds down.
More Than Just a Sixth Man
Even though Mathurin has come off the bench in all five games with the Clippers, his minutes and usage tell a different story.
He is playing over 30 minutes a night and closing games alongside Leonard, which says a lot about the trust head coach Tyronn Lue has in him already.
After his big night against Denver, Mathurin praised Lue for knowing his game and telling him to be aggressive and be himself, and that kind of relationship between a coach and a young player can go a long way.
At just 23 years old and entering restricted free agency this summer, the ceiling for Mathurin is much higher than a traditional bench scorer, and the Clippers know that.
He has the tools to be a full-time starter on a playoff team and has already proven he can be a go-to option in crunch time.
The Clippers have 25 games left to make their push for the postseason, and with Garland's return on the horizon and Mathurin finding his groove, there is real reason to believe this roster can be dangerous come April.