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Danuel House Jr. and Matisse Thybulle might be technically fighting for the same minutes in Doc Rivers’ rotation but there is no bad blood or animosity between them. Quite the opposite. The two talented players are helping each other get better, totally devoid of selfishness or ego.
House has been the more favored wing early in the season as evidenced by his 16.4 minutes per game, compared to only 10.4 minutes per game for Thybulle. The numbers don’t mean much in the grand scheme of things. House came to the Philadelphia 76ers to win a championship and he’s doing everything in his power to expedite that process, like staying late after practice to encourage Thybulle to shoot the ball.
“I believe in his jump shot,” House said. “I tell him, ‘Stop doubting yourself, shoot it. You work too hard, you put in a lot of work, and I shoot them with you, you can shoot the rock, shoot it.’ That’s the brotherhood and the bond that everyone on this team is building with one another. We trust in each other around here and I want to see my brother do good.”
In addition to the trust, House and Thybulle actively root for each other to excel. They swap secrets and skills: House takes advice on how to better defend; Thybulle takes notes on how to fix his jumper.
“That’s the guy. Matisse is the guy. He’s very smart. Selfless guy. Team player. Puts in hard work, willing to listen to anybody and willing to help you, too,” House said. “He’s second-team All-Defense, so the guy can guard. So if he says something defensively, why not listen? So, just as much as he says he’s learning from me … I’m learning from him, too.”
Memories of Eric Gordon: ‘Starting Don’t Really Bother Me’
House was in a very similar situation on the Houston Rockets with Eric Gordon. They were interchangeable starters and neither one cared. It’s the same mindset in Philadelphia. You need to bring the same energy whether Matt Cord is introducing you over the loudspeakers or if you are coming in off the bench.
“I started and he [Gordon] would come off the bench, and then some games he would start, it’s just the way the game is played, it’s about the team,” House said. “I don’t look into starting like ‘whoopie,’ is that going to determine if I’m still gonna be a part of the team or not?
“Alright, so if I’m not starting this game, what do I gotta do when I get in the game to make sure the team is still staying afloat? That’s what it is all about. We of age now, I’m not young, so starting don’t really bother me.”
House Feeling Better After 2-Game Absence
The flu bug has been going around the Sixers’ locker room in recent days. All-Star center Joel Embiid missed three straight games with a non-COVID illness, then House sat for back-to-back games after catching it. He was back at practice on Wednesday and declared himself good to go for Thursday’s game in Atlanta.
“Putting in extra work, getting some conditioning,” House said. “You saw me saying later to get some extra shots up. It’s one step at a time, day-by-day process, I just gotta work through it.”
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