Rookie Bennedict Mathurin challenges LeBron: 'He has to show me he's better than me' / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: USA TODAY Sports, AP-Scanpix Credit USA TODAY Sports, AP-Scanpix

The Indiana Pacers selected Arizona wing, Bennedict Mathurin, with their sixth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. And the player has already made headlines with his statements.

2-pointers this season

54%29,3Points made:29,3Accuracy:54,1%Place in standings:9Record max:41Record min:18Most made 2FGs:Domantas SabonisTeamNBAStatisticsSchedule

The 20-year-old has recently claimed that he wants to test one of the greatest basketball athletes ever, LeBron James, noting that the Los Angeles Lakers superstar is "going to have to show" him that he's a better player.

"A lot of people say he's great," Mathurin told Ben Golliver of The Washington Post. "I want to see how great he is. I don't think anybody is better than me. He's going to have to show me he's better than me."

Mathurin was the Pacers' highest draft pick since 1988. He averaged 17.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in his final season as a Wildcat.

Mathurin's scouting report:

"His role was to spot up and shoot 3s during his freshman season and he drilled 41.8 percent of them. As a sophomore, he was asked to do a lot more but he still made 38.3 percent of his catch-and-shoot triples, which includes a large number on extremely high difficulty.

Fans will love watching him run the break. He's always ready to run ahead of the defense, eager to turn stops into points. He can drain 3s or throw down explosive dunks when he has space to launch.

Defensive consistency is his biggest issue right now. He has lockdown moments but lacks proper footwork on simple stuff like closeouts. He's slow to fight over on-ball screens."

Subscribe to BN+ and get access to exclusive content.