The 11-8 Indiana Pacers will face off against the 7-11 Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night and it promises to be a big game.
It comes after the Pacers have won six of their last eight and the Lakers have won five of their last six.
It will also be a chance for LeBron James and Anthony Davis‘ crew to battle Buddy Hield and Myles Turners‘.
The Pacers’ promising young rookie Bennedict Mathurin is excited about the game, and he’s eager to go toe-to-toe with James.
He’s also not intimidated at all.
“I don’t think anybody is better than me. LeBron is going to have to show me he’s better than me,” Mathurin said about the match-up months ago.
Now, it’s time for him to prove just how right he was.
It’s smart for a player to be confident about their abilities and their power on the court.
But is this all talk from Mathurin or does he have a right to be so sure of himself against James?
Mathurin’s Monster Start
So far this season, Mathurin is putting up 18.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists.
He is scoring the second-most points for his team, behind only Tyrese Haliburton.
Mathurin is part of a team that is actually a bit better than people expected.
There were numerous analysts who predicted the Pacers would be at the bottom of the Eastern Conference at this point, not fourth place.
But how much longer will the team look like this?
Both Turner and Hield have been possible trade targets for months now and it is still very likely that they won’t end the season in Indiana.
As for Mathurin, he is setting himself up to be the future of the franchise.
On Monday night, he will show what he’s got against the biggest name in the game.
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