Bennedict Mathurin Creating Big Offseason Dilemma for Clippers

Things are looking up for the Los Angeles Clippers. Despite the trade deadline shakeup, the Clippers are on track to make the postseason and should have an excellent chance to secure a playoff spot. Darius Garland is back and healthy, the team has been competitive in every game, and Kawhi Leonard continues to play at a near-MVP level. One concern for the Clippers that will remain a big debate between now and the offseason, however, is Bennedict Mathurin's play.

Since being acquired from the Indiana Pacers as part of the Ivica Zubac trade, Mathurin has had a few big scoring games. He scored 20 points in four games, including tying his career-high of 38 points in his third game as a Clipper. While these scoring bursts have understandably received attention, Mathurin's overall impact hasn't been where it needed to be.

Clippers' Ben Mathurin Needs to Do More Than Just Score

Mathurin has always been a talented scorer. He can get to the rim, finish through contact, and draw fouls. When he is on the ball, he has the ability to create good shots for himself. Where he struggles is in other aspects of the game, including shooting, playmaking, and defense.

Through his 11-game tenure in LA, Mathurin hasn't been able to quell any of those concerns. He is 6/38 (15.8%) from three. He has almost as many assists as turnovers (27:23 AST: TO ratio).

For a player with a massive 28% usage rate, those are unacceptable numbers. Mathurin has a True Shooting% of 53.1, significantly lower than league-average efficiency. If one of your high-volume offensive players is not creating enough shots for others and is only creating inefficient shots for himself, this puts a cap on your offense. It may not be a coincidence that the Clippers' offensive rating has been 4.3 points per 100 possessions worse with him on the floor than without him, per Cleaning the Glass.

This is still a small enough sample size that things can change very quickly. If Mathurin's three-point shooting progresses to the mean, both his and LA's offensive numbers will look a lot better.

At the same time, the Clippers don't have that much time before having to make a decision on Mathurin. 19 regular-season games are remaining, and however many postseason games the Clippers get to play. After that, the Clippers have to sign Mathurin to a contract extension.

Mathurin has shown enough upside as a scorer that the Clippers will want to retain him on a multi-year deal. However, Mathurin's lack of improvement in other aspects of his game raises questions about his fit next to Darius Garland and Kawhi Leonard. Do the Clippers really want to invest significant resources into their third option at best, who can't shoot or pass?

Let's hope for both the Clippers' and Mathurin's sake that the 23-year-old starts showing more in the final stretch of the season.