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Pacers giving shooter a much longer look

Originally posted on Indianapolis Pacers on SI
By Ethan J. Skolnick | Last updated Dec 11, 2025 12:57 PM ET

The Indiana Pacers have used 22 players, in this bridge season marred by injury after injury. Some of those players have made an impression on the front office.

Apparently, Garrison Mathews is one.

Even though Mathews hasn't shot especially well during his back-to-back 10-day contracts, at just 32.1 percent from three-point range, the Pacers have decided to extend him with a standard contract. That gives Mathews some security he did not have at the start of this season.

The Pacers are signing Garrison Mathews to a standard contract today, a league source tells me.
— Tony East (@TonyREast) December 11, 2025

Mathews has averaged 4.8 points in his nine appearances, including one start. He scored 15 in a loss to Cleveland on Dec. 1. Indiana is his fourth team, after he broke in with Washington and then played for Houston and Atlanta. His shooting numbers should improve; he was at 44 and 39 percent the past two seasons for the Hawks, with a regular bench role.

The Pacers need it to. As a team, they are shooting just 33.2 percent from long range, a big reason for their inability to sustain the previous season's NBA Finals worthy offense. That has come even with the improvement of Bennedict Mathurin, who is at 43 percent on a robust 6.6 attempts per game.

Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith are all in the 35 to 37 percent range. But the bench production hasn't always been there.

With all of Indiana's absences, Mathews figures to get a shot for 10 to 20 minutes on a regular basis.

The Pacers' next game is on Friday against Philadelphia. The Pacers have won two straight, as they try to creep closer to the bottom of the Play-In Standings.

This article first appeared on Indianapolis Pacers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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