Predicting 7 third-year NBA players who will make the jump to stardom in 2024-25

Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana Pacers

Even though Bennedict Mathurin is coming off an injury, I do believe that he is certainly a breakout star candidate heading into his third season in the Association. That could prove to be tough with the depth the Indiana Pacers feature on their roster, but he has all the natural tools to add a different element to the team's rotation. Heading into NBA Training Camp, Mathurin will likely be penciled in as the backup small forward. However, there's a very good chance that he could end up overtaking Aaron Nesmith for the starting spot if he makes the leap that he is perfectly capable of making this season.

Mathurin certainly has some strides to make on the defensive end of the floor but he's absolutely shown enough promise offensively where he deserves to be a name on everyone's radar. The efficiency numbers Mathurin was able to put up last season (before the injury) are certainly encouraging. The question is, will he be able to build off of that to potentially make the jump to stardom?

That may not be easy to answer and gets even more questionable because of the Pacers' depth and Mathurin's injury.