Pacers Stars Named Favorite for Major End of Season Award

The Indiana Pacers will have a new-look starting lineup next season. Myles Turner is now in Milwaukee, so they will have a new starting center for next year.

Tyrese Haliburton is out for all of next year after he tore his Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, so Bennedict Mathurin will be the player who steps into the starting lineup.

Mathurin will be the starting shooting guard as Andrew Nembhard shifts to the starting point guard spot. Because of that, both players have a shot to win a major award, according to one NBA pundit.

Pacers players Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard have a shot to win a major award

With the new starting lineup in Indiana, both Mathurin and Nembhard have a shot to win the Most Improved Player Year Award, according to Dan Favale of Bleacher Report.

Favale believes that either Pacers player has a shot to win the award because of the new opportunity that will open up with Haliburton on the sidelines.

"At least one of Mathurin or Nembhard will need to go off on offense for the Pacers to navigate the regular season without Tyrese Haliburton. Mathurin could get the edge after head coach Rick Carlisle revealed to Caitlin Cooper of Basketball, She Wrote that he's going to start. But Nembhard should have more control over running the entire offense and might just make #PlayoffNembhard his default."

The Indiana Pacers need Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin to take a leap next year

Nembhard will be running the offense and creating most of the shots for everyone else. He won't be able to do that as well as Haliburton, but no one can.

Mathurin will have an opportunity to score the ball at will with Haliburton out. In fact, the Pacers need Mathurin to be one of the primary scorers in order for them to win enough games to make the playoffs.

Nembhard has established himself as one of the best perimeter defenders in the country. Mathurin is going to be given a lot of opportunities to prove he can be an efficient scorer. Both players have a real shot to win this award.