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One of the biggest storylines of the Philadelphia 76ers‘ recent victory over the Toronto Raptors was the impactful play of Matisse Thybulle. The defensive ace had seen an extremely limited opportunity on the court by playing under six total game minutes during the opening five games. This changed as Thybulle clocked 22 minutes on the floor in the matchup. He produced six points, three rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a steal. The two-time All-NBA Defensive second team member made a notable impact on the defensive end which was noted by his teammates.
Tyrese Maxey opened up to reporters about Thybulle’s level of play and the hard work he has put in following the game. Maxey, who dropped a career-high 44 points in the win, expressed great emotion for his teammate and friend’s success by stating:
“He’s a professional, man. Every time we play at home, [Lauren] makes a post because Matisse is the first one out there postgame & he’s shooting. Last game, again, he was the first one out there, he went upstairs, shooting. It just shows man, that he cares. He cares about his craft. And he stays ready. He started being Matisse, the Matisse we know and we love. He knocked down some big threes. I let out a big scream of emotion when I passed him the ball, and he shot it and hit it – because I know how hard he works. I know how much he wants it. As a friend, as a brother, I’m proud of him,” per Lauren Rosen of the Sixers.
Thybulle’s Defensive Impact
As has been known to be the case with Thybulle, he made his presence most notably felt on the defensive side of the ball. Coming into the matchup the Sixers had struggled to get stops in a major way. Through the opening five games they ranked 30th in opponent fast-break points, 24th in opponent field-goal percentage, 30th in opponent non-blocked two-point percentage, and 24th in combined blocks and steals.
While it will take some time for these numbers to settle in, the impact of Thybulle was felt. He formed an especially fearsome defensive unit alongside De’Anthony Melton. Both players possess above-average lengths and instincts. They used this to make life difficult on opponents and Melton managed to secure five steals of his own in the matchup.
There certainly are some holes still in his game, but the type of eye-opening defensive impact Thybulle has is necessary on this Sixers roster.
Thybulle a 3-and-D Option
As Maxey alluded to in the interview, his perimeter shooting will be the biggest swing skill for Thybulle. This has been what kept him off the court thus far. Spacing has become a massive point of emphasis for the Sixers and the lack of respect that Thybulle commands with his shot have caused issues for Joel Embiid in the past.
The Washington product has been tirelessly working to improve the jump shot this offseason. To his credit, the form did look to be tweaked and Thybulle shot 2-5 on his three-point attempts during the victory. This is an encouraging effort considering he averaged just 2.2 attempts per game last year and connected at a 31.3% rate.
Danuel House Jr has played the most notable role in squeezing Thybulle out of minutes thus far. The perception of the former Rocket has been he is a more complete wing and can do it on both sides of the ball. However, through the opening five games, he has shot just two for 10 on his three-point attempts while getting lost at times defensively.
He may not be perfect, but the value of playing Thybulle is clear. Rivers’ decision to give him an opportunity was a welcomed and necessary change. The Sixers played with an increased tempo and level of play during the matchup as well which was helpful for the fifth-year wing. It will be interesting to see if Thybulle’s minutes change at all when Embiid returns to the court, but the 25-year-old did all he could to show why he deserves a role.
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