Bennedict Mathurin has emerged as one of the best rookies in the 2022 NBA Draft class. Not many have overcome as much as Mathurin to live out their dream.
A man integral to Mathurin’s NBA journey was NBA Latin America Academy coach Hernan Olaya, who discovered Mathurin in Quebec, Canada, and persuaded him to join the NBA Academy. He revealed how hard of an adjustment life in Mexico as an Academy prospect was for Mathurin, whose personal demons never allowed him to connect with the idea of ‘family.'” (h/t The Athletic)
“We used to chant ‘family’ in the huddle, and I was very observant of him. He never chanted ‘family.’ I asked him, ‘why don’t you?’, and he was like, “Man, it’s because I don’t know what family is.” That’s what he told me. Like, “I don’t trust a lot of folks here.” Slowly, he started opening up. It took months.”
Mathurin lost his half-brother and best friend to a road accident at the age of 12. By the age of 16, he was about to join a bad crew in Canada, so Olaya expedited the process of taking Mathurin away to Mexico for further training. We all know now that it worked out very well for everyone involved.
Josh Giddey is also a product of the NBA Academy but from Australia and not Latin America.
Bennedict Mathurin’s Hard Work Is Paying Off
Leaving family at a young age, especially considering the troubling circumstances Mathurin found himself in, could not have been easy. He had to leave everyone behind on short notice to commit to a dream of being a basketball player that even he didn’t necessarily believe in at the time. He has shown in Indiana that he is a fearless basketball player, even calling out LeBron James before their first matchup.
As a rookie, Mathurin is averaging 16.6 points and 4.0 rebounds. He is bound to be a member of the All-Rookie First Team, even rivaling Paolo Banchero for the title of Rookie of the Year at the start of the season. Even with the emergence of rookies like Keegan Murray, Walker Kessler, and Jalen Williams, Mathurin has established himself as one of the best players from his draft class already.
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