On the in-game progress of Indiana's sophomores (Patreon)

How Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard helped the Pacers to score without scoring 

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper  

As the saying goes, if at first you don't succeed, try, try, again. In a game that started out as though it was being played in mud, creeping and jerking between periods of choppy flow punctuated by rapid bursts of highlights (i.e. the "Bennediction" delivered by Bennedict Mathurin), the Pacers repeatedly turned to the same action in search of points.

Once in the paint, with the weak-side corner and dunker's spot both filled, the purpose was to create advantageous spacing for Andrew Nembhard to read the second help, hunting either high-efficiency rim finishes or corner threes. As such, just before halftime, Buddy Hield blurred in front of the ball, as he so often does, opening room for Nembhard to attack downhill. 

Functionally, the flat pick-and-roll alignment worked as intended. On the paint penetration, when Jaren Jackson Jr. slid over to protect the basket, the corner man was left to defend two versus one, stretching the help. In practice, however, Nembhard challenged the challenge from the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, even though the corner man, GG Jackson, was in the process of sinking to the dunker's spot with his momentum working against him. Put simply, the ball needed to go to the corner. 

Don't worry, though. With Tyrese Haliburton and T.J. McConnell both sidelined, there were a lot more chances for Nembhard to improve on that read. Toward the end of the game, the Pacers went to that same play in the half-court several times, only with Pascal Siakam operating as the screener. On the first possession, Nembhard got the ball stripped while attempting to turn the corner against the switch. But, also notice the placement of players, as Jalen Smith is in the dunker's spot, with Aaron Nesmith in the corner. 

The next time, those spots were re-arranged, with Smith in the ball-side corner and Bennedict Mathurin standing in the dunker's spot, leaving less size at the rim, with a guard in the unfamiliar position of stymying the decisions of the ball-handler while also protecting the basket. As such, Nembhard has more leeway to finish after getting around the edge of the switch with less fear of a shot-blocker. 

To the credit of Mathurin, another benefit of mixing up the positions around the flat pick-and-roll spacing was how active he was at both shadowing the ball and screening the secondary help. When the ball went to Siakam, Mathurin would relocate to the opposite block, forcing Jaren Jackson Jr. to be the crack-back defender, tasked with taking away the drop-off pass while also maintaining a lane to close out to the corner. If Jackson overcommitted, with the action turning into spread pick-and-roll, Mathurin could also be opportunistic, screening his outside shoulder for a corner pin-in.    

Granted, Siakam whiffed on the lefty layup, but the Grizzlies still responded by swapping out defensive assignments, with Jaren Jackson Jr. guarding the slithery mid-range scorer as opposed to Smith. Siakam is capable of making these types of tough shots, but the change in match-ups, along with the fact that he's screening for the mismatch as opposed to slipping out into space with speed, meant there wasn't as much momentum as what would be possible with a shooter as the screener, blurring in front of the ball. 

Also, Siakam was carrying a heavy burden at both ends of the floor, at times, applying full-court pressure against Jaren Jackson Jr., while also battling to prevent the big man from turning over his dominant right shoulder.

As such, with the Pacers clinging to a two-point lead with under a minute to play, take a closer look at Mathurin. Following the made free throws from Memphis, which nearly knotted the score at 112-110 in favor of the Pacers, notice how vocal he is with Nembhard and Nesmith, communicating to both of them that he intends to be the screener. 

Moments later, when the play unfolds, Mathurin is, in fact, the screener, slipping out into space with Siakam in the weak-side corner. As was the case just before halftime, Jackson Jr. is sliding over yet again to protect the basket, but Nembhard doesn't challenge the big man's challenge. Instead, he reads the crack-back defender, recognizing that David Roddy is in no man's land, prioritizing the passing to lane to Siakam as a potential secondary threat, rather than establishing early top-side position at the dunker's spot. In turn, Nembhard recognizes what was previously missed at the end of the second quarter, diming Smith for two at the rim. 

After scoring 24 points through the first three quarters, Mathurin was held scoreless in the final frame, while only attempting one shot, but don't be fooled by the box score. Just as Nembhard made strides in measuring his strides and reading the second help based on who was spaced where and doing what, Mathurin also showed in-game progress, playing a critical part in the team's ability to score, even when he wasn't scoring -- let alone touching the ball. 

For that reason, if everything goes to plan and Tyrese Haliburton returns to action against the Celtics after missing 10 of the last 11 games due to a hamstring injury, it's possible that the star guard's absence may turn out to be a blessing in disguise, allowing Indiana's pair of sophomores to polish unearthed aspects of their games in the mud of a grimy win that could, quite possibly, add to the overall shine of the team in the long run.