How the Bennedict Mathurin Addition Changes the Pelicans' Rotation

The New Orleans Pelicans finally made a significant personnel move this offseason after signing former Los Angeles Clippers forward Bennedict Mathurin to a two-year, $16 million deal. Mathurin gives the Pelicans a solid punch off the bench with his career 16.2-point-per-game average. While the 24-year-old forward is a nice addition, he doesn’t solve New Orleans’ biggest issues.

After winning just 26 games last season, there are a plethora of holes to fix in this leaking roster.

Mathurin’s arrival puts the Pelicans at 16 players, meaning they need another roster transaction to get to the league-mandated 15-man roster before the season starts. Earlier in the summer, there were trade rumors involving backup guard Jordan Hawkins. Regardless of who the Pelicans let go, Mathurin will no doubt change the rotation this upcoming season.

Among the former first-round pick’s strengths is his ability to get to the free-throw line. Since being drafted by the Indiana Pacers in the 2022 NBA Draft, Mathurin is fifth among guards and wings in free-throw rate. He shoots an efficient 83% from the stripe, which makes him a good candidate to close games in clutch situations. That should pair nicely with a roster that was sixth in the league in free-throw attempts per game last season, but that didn’t help them late in games.

New Orleans was one of the worst clutch teams last season, going 12-30 in those situations.

There is no doubt Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, and Dejounte Murray are locks to close games, with other eligible players like Herb Jones, Saddiq Bey, Jeremiah Fears, and Derrick Queen vying to finish games for the Pelicans.

If new head coach Jamahl Mosley values Mathurin’s ability to draw fouls and get easy points, that makes choosing closing lineups difficult on most nights. The downside is that Mathurin isn’t a great shooter or defender, which makes him a major negative in other situations.

The Canadian-born swingman's ability to get downhill helps players like Williamson and Queen around the basket, especially if they get doubled in the paint. Mathurin has improved his playmaking somewhat, averaging nearly 2.5 assists per game, but overall he isn’t a great passer. Playing with down-low presences like Williamson and Queen can help with those numbers this year.

Jordan Poole Will Get Squeezed Out of the Rotation With Bennedict Mathurin's Arrival

Mathurin averaged nearly 30 minutes per game last year, which more than likely won’t be the case this season. Playing him that many minutes would negate players like Micah Peavy and Bryce McGowens, who are better defenders than Mathurin, from getting any consistent minutes outside of injury.

Mosley is a defensive-minded head coach first, so his natural inclination would be to play defense-first lineups, but there may not be enough minutes for players like Peavy and McGowens.

The odd man out in a lot of this appears to be Jordan Poole, who is coming off a dismal season. Poole had his second-lowest shooting percentage since his rookie year, and his albatross of a contract makes him a prime candidate to be traded before the deadline.

The former NBA champion was a healthy scratch for long stretches last season and is on an expiring deal. While Mathurin and Poole aren’t the same type of player, Mathurin can take on some of the 1-on-1 and ball-handling duties from Poole.

New Orleans did the best they could late in the summer to bring in a player who has a chance to make an impact. His deal has a player option after next season, so the Pelicans will play Mathurin as much as possible this upcoming year and check the fit. Only time will tell whether that impact translates to winning on the court.