Indiana Pacers rookie guard Benedict Maturin set an NBA record for fewest games (16) needed to make at least 40 career 3-pointers in league history.
For comparison, Philadelphia 76ers legend Allen Iverson made 37 threes in his first 16 starts. In the 2009-10 season, James Harden made 22 threes in the first 16 games with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Maturin was selected sixth overall out of Arizona in this year’s draft. In 16 games off the bench this season, the rookie is averaging 19.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists.
At a handful of NBA betting sites, the Pacers guard has the fourth-best odds to win the Sixth Man of the Year this season. Some sportsbooks show high odds for Russell Westbrook, Jordan Poole and Christian Wood.
of @Pacers Benedict Maturin tied the NBA record for fewest games needed to reach 40 career 3P’s made (16).
He is the first player in NBA history to make at least 40 3P and 80 FT in the first 16 games of his career.
More on last night’s games here https://t.co/cORw7WXdGW
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) November 22, 2022
Similarly, Benedict Maturin is shooting 44.3% from the floor and 42.1% from beyond the arc. He is the first player in NBA history to make at least 40 career 3-pointers and 80 free throws in his first 16 games.
According to Global Rankings, the Packers guard is the favorite to win Rookie of the Year and 2023 Sixth Man of the Year. His true shooting percentage is 60.5%.
Maturin ranks 42nd in points per game, 76th in field goals made (5.9), 15th in free throws made (80), 14th in free throw attempts (97), and 86th in player efficiency (16.56).
Pacers rookie Benedict Maturin set an NBA record for few games (16) needed to hit 40 career 3-pointers.
In the first three games of the season, the Packers guard scored 72 points, the most since senior rookie Jerry Stackhouse had 76 points to start the 1995-96 season.
Additionally, on Oct. 26, in Indiana’s 124-109 loss to the Chicago Bulls, the rookie became the first Pacer to score 100 points in his first five career games.
Three days later, Benedict Maturin scored a game-high 32 points in the Pacers’ 125-116 win over the Brooklyn Nets. He shot 8-of-16 (50%) from the floor and 6-of-9 (66.7%) from 3-point range.
Pacer Benedict Maturin’s 32 points off the bench is an NBA single-game record by a Canadian-born player. pic.twitter.com/lsNrpk8I2V
– Sports Network Stats (@SNstats) October 30, 2022
Of course, the rookie scored 32 points off the bench.
Benedict Maturin finished with a team-high 22 points in 27 minutes of action in Monday night’s 123-102 loss to the Orlando Magic. He finished 6 of 13 (46.2%) from the field and 2 of 6 (33.3%) from downtown.
“It’s too bad, that’s who we’re trying to be,” Packers coach Rick Carlisle said after the win. “The people went inside. It was a fun game to win.”
Tyrese Halliburton added: “We’re going through this as a team early on, but it’s happening more often in places where we’re in close games.” “You have to know exactly when you’re on the go. We are growing together as a team,” he said.
With Benedict Maturin on the court, the Packers are an underrated team. They are currently fourth overall in the Eastern Conference standings with a 10-6 record. Indiana is now on a five-game winning streak.
