Canadian star Bennedict Mathurin emerged as the star of the opening night of the All-Star weekend. The Indiana Pacers sophomore came out all guns blazing to help Team Jalen win the fast-paced mini-tournament. Mathurin dropped 18 and 4 points respectively in his two outings to lead his way to the MVP trophy. Moreover, with that performance, he also joined two other Canadians on an elite list.

After receiving the trophy, he went on to become the third Canadian after Jamal Murray and Andrew Wiggins to win the Rising Stars MVP awards. Wiggins achieved this feat in 2015 and Murray in 2017. Notably, both stars went on to win their maiden NBA rings down the road.

Bennedict Mathurin had an eventful semifinal game against Team Tamika. Since it’s a mini-tournament, the team that reached 40 points first won the game. The Pacers star took the game upon his shoulder and dropped 18 points to carry his team to the Finals.

In the Finals, the NBA world expected a battle between Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama, but unfortunately, Wemby’s team couldn’t battle out their juniors in the semi-final. Team Detlef knocked out the 7′ 4 tall player and took on Team Jalen in the Finals. While Mathurin shouldered the team in the semi-finals, he took a back seat in the Finals.

Team Jalen produced an all-around effort to win the Rising Stars trophy. Holmgren registered impressive numbers with 2 points along with a block and steal.

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However, the semi-final performance was enough to deem Mathurin as the MVP of the tournament. Let’s take a closer look at Jamal Murray and Andrew Wiggins’ contributions to the Rising Stars tournament.

Wiggins and Murray at the Rising Stars tournament

The Rising Stars game had a different format back in 2017. The rookies and sophomores were split into two teams. American players donned the Team USA jersey while the rest donned the World Team jersey. Murray dropped 36 points, which included 9 three-pointers and 11 assists. It eventually helped the team win a 150-139 blow-out win.

On the other hand, in 2015, Andrew Wiggins put up a decent 22 points with 6 rebounds and 4 assists to facilitate a 121-112 win over Team USA. Surprisingly, it was enough to clinch the MVP trophy. Moreover, both Wiggins and Murray went on to win their maiden rings. Will Mathurin also go on to win the ring? Only time will tell.

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What do you make of Bennedict Mathurin’s efforts to win the Rising Stars trophy? Let us know in the comments below.