The Pistons have been largely preoccupied with their Jalen Duren contract negotiations this offseason, but still wanted to add additional scoring elsewhere too. Initially, there were reports that Detroit was interested in adding another restricted free agent Benedict Mathurin as a potential sparkplug scorer but the Pistons have wisely moved on now. Mathurin has some clear talent as a downhill driver but he’s not a good fit for the backup role the Pistons would ask of him.
Mathurin is not the right fit for Detroit
If there’s anything that the last two seasons have proved about the Pistons, it’s that they value defense greatly. Even their most successful backups have thrived largely because of strong defense and adequate offense to boot. But Mathurin would break that mold with his play style.
Despite having the physical tools to be a good defender, Mathurin has never been solid on that end since entering the NBA. This archetype of player would perhaps be the most frustrating for Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff, since Mathurin is arguably only a defensive weakness due to his own lack of effort and focus. Right away, that’s one big strike against Mathurin.
But arguably the bigger strike has to do with his offensive production. Mathurin has never been known for his efficiency and the problem got even worse last season when he had more opportunities to lead his team’s offense. Over his entire campaign last season, Mathurin shot just 43% from the field and 32% from three. That’s arguably worse efficiency than Marcus Sasser, another score-first guard that the Pistons already shipped out for his poor fit.
The Pistons should leave Mathurin to rebuilding teams
Perhaps the most telling sign of Mathurin’s value comes from how other teams are treating him. He was part of a Finals run just 13 months ago with the Pacers, but they still traded him as a throw-in for Ivica Zubac. Now the Clippers are open to losing him for nothing after getting a 26-game sample size last season.
His potential suitors in restricted free agency have also dwindled down to just two remaining: the Bulls and Pelicans. Both teams are in the midst of rebuilding and coming off very low win totals a season ago. In their current states, those franchises can afford to take a gamble on Mathurin’s latent talent and see if he’s worth developing.
But the Pistons and all other contenders have rightfully moved on from Mathurin. He simply doesn’t have the tendencies to make him a winning player right now, either in a starting or reserve role. Even on a team with an elite defensive ecosystem like the Pistons, Mathurin’s struggles to score efficiently don’t inspire a lot of confidence in his overall impact.
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