Hot Takes on Pacers' Bennedict Mathurin in 1st Game Since Calling out LeBron James

After calling out Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, Bennedict Mathurin put together a solid performance for the Indiana Pacers in Las Vegas Summer League action against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday.

Mathurin finished with 23 points, four rebounds and one steal in 20 minutes. He made 9-of-16 shots from the field and 3-of-6 shots from deep in the Pacers' 96-84 win.

Mathurin's performance earned him some praise on Twitter, and some fans also couldn't help but make jokes referencing his comments about James.

Before the 2022 NBA draft, Mathurin said in an interview with the Washington Post that James is "going to have to show me he’s better than me."

He recently clarified those comments, making sure that people know he wasn't trying to disrespect the four-time NBA champion.

"It’s about me being confident," Mathurin said, per Gabby Hajduk of the Indianapolis Star. "I think he’s the best player to ever play the game. … But me just coming into the league, I won’t say anybody’s better than me. That’s me being confident. I know who LeBron James is. There’s no [other] LeBron James. There won’t be again."

Based on Mathurin's performance on Friday, it certainly seems like he's going to put together a solid rookie season in the NBA. However, he's going to have to prove himself all over again once the 2022-23 regular season begins.