Scorching Bennedict Mathurin breakout will come with bittersweet reality check

Indiana Pacers wing Bennedict Mathurin (00) during a playoff game against the Milwaukee Bucks. | Justin Casterline/GettyImagesBennedict Mathurin is playing some of the best basketball of his career this season, and this could spell doom for the Indiana Pacers as he hits restricted free agency next summer.

This past offseason, the Pacers chose not to sign Mathurin to a rookie-scale contract extension. Was it the right move? Probably. The Pacers are seemingly still looking to stay under the luxury tax as much as possible, and it might not make sense for them to potentially suffer financially to retain someone who may not be a good fit long-term.

But was it also a risky move? Absolutely. And…