Pacers' Rick Carlisle puts young star on blast amid 3-game losing streak
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Accountability goes a long way, just ask Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle. Following Monday's game, he called out guard Bennedict Mathurin. About a month ago, Mathurin was suspended one game for inappropriate contact with an official.
However, Carlisle sees more of the problems. Some of the problems come down to consistency.
While Mathurin is a young player in his own right, the Pacers head coach has a realistic standard. He put his young guard on blast about the lack of consistency.
A lot of points in one game and not a lot the next,” Carlisle said via Alex Golden on X (formerly Twitter). “It's not all about points. I talked to him about stuff after the game that went on.
“The stuff with officials and him constantly talking with officials has gotta stop. It creates a distraction for him and our team. We need him very badly right now. We need all our guys to be undistracted."
Indiana has a top-10 offense for points per game and an offensive rating. While Tyrese Haliburton leads the way, someone like Mathurin is huge for the team.
Rick Carlisle wants to see more from Pacers’ Bennedict Mathurin
His 3-level scoring is essential, especially when games are tight. Still, as a young player, Carlisle wants to straighten out some inconsistencies.
Although he called out his player to the public, this likely took place behind the scenes as well. Plus, the Pacers head coach has coached his fair share of All-Stars.
Most notably, he coached Dirk Nowitzki, who is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Even then, he wasn't afraid to demand a ton from his European superstar. The same can be said for Mathurin.
This is Carlisle's style. It's nothing personal, but something that he's going to get the best out of the former Arizona basketball guard.
Even with the three-game losing streak, the Pacers are still fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 35-28 record. If the playoffs were to start today, they would square off against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The last time they played in the playoffs, Indiana had the upper hand and won the series in six games.
While Mathurin has made Pacers history this season with his scoring, Carlisle wants to see more consistency. The big performance might not matter if they’re not happening regularly.
Either way, Indiana will have some work to do to get off of this three-game losing skid and back to its winning ways.
The post Pacers’ Rick Carlisle puts young star on blast amid 3-game losing streak appeared first on ClutchPoints.
