Bennedict Mathurin's Shooting Slump Has Hit Concerning Levels

The Los Angeles Clippers' addition of Bennedict Mathurin at the trade deadline has largely gone as expected. The 23-year-old wing has had some big scoring games and has been productive on the offensive end through the first 15 games with his new team. At the same time, concerns about his outside shot and playmaking proved to be real. In fact, his three-point shooting has been so bad that the Clippers should have some question marks about his long-term fit on the team.

Mathurin is 11/56 (19.6%) from downtown as a Clipper. As a result, he is taking fewer threes than ever. Since he joined the Clippers, he has a three-point attempt rate of .256, significantly lower than his average of .343 with the Pacers.

It's not like Mathurin is taking exceedingly difficult shots. 16 of his attempts were of the catch-and-shoot variety, and he has made only four of them, per NBA.com tracking data. 44 of his three-pointers as a Clipper were defined as open (closest defender between four and six feet away), or wide open (closest defender over six feet away). He has shot 22.7% on these attempts.

Clippers Could Have a Postseason Problem if Mathurin Doesn't Start Hitting Shots

Those shooting numbers are as bad as it gets for any high-usage scorer. He will surely not shoot the ball this poorly. Mathurin is a solid free-throw and midrange shooter. He should get closer to his career average of around 34% from three.

However, the former Pacer is far from being a reliable threat from downtown, and this is a problem. The Clippers simply can't afford to have another non-shooter on the perimeter. Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr., and John Collins have all improved tremendously from outside throughout their careers, but none of them is a plus shooter for their position. They are low-volume, medium-accuracy type of players who almost exclusively take wide-open threes. Jordan Miller and Kobe Sanders are also unproven shooters at this stage of their careers.

That is why Mathurin has to be able to space the floor. When playing next to Darius Garland and Kawhi Leonard, Mathurin will be more off the ball than on. If the opposing defenses aren't afraid of his shooting threat, they will pack the paint and overload on Leonard and Garland.

This will especially be a postseason problem. When your opponents have enough time to game plan in a playoff series, you are only as good as your biggest weaknesses. If the Clippers can't surround Leonard and Garland with enough shooting, this will put a cap on their offensive ceiling against the best defenses.

Mathurin has 15 games left in the season to prove that he is a reliable shooter from three. Otherwise, the Clippers' playoff prospects, as well as Mathurin's future with the team, will be in jeopardy.