Getty Matisse Thybulle #22 of the Philadelphia 76ers.
It has been trying times for Philadelphia 76ers defensive ace Matisse Thybulle. His usage is at a career-low, evidenced by the roughly 9.2 minutes per game the former Washington Huskie is averaging so far. Though it’s not like Thybulle is making much of a case for extended playing time; his .3 blocks and .7 steals per game are also career-lows.
Nonetheless, Thybulle is coming off his second straight Second Team All-Defense nod and, in the right system, could be a key difference-maker on defense. Because of that, Thybulle is a prime trade candidate for Philadelphia, according to Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz.
“With Thybulle no longer looking like a focal point in Philadelphia, the Sixers should at least take calls from teams who need perimeter defense, especially if they don’t want to pay him next offseason.”
Matisse Thybulle this season
6 MIN — First 5 games
22 MIN — Tonight
As Swartz alluded to, there might be an even bigger reason for the Sixers to look to move on from Thybulle, aside from his poor play.
Thybulle, 76ers Failed to Reach Extension Before Season
Ahead of the new season, the Sixers faced a significant deadline with Thybulle. 2022-23 would be the final season of his rookie contract, meaning the team had until the start of the season to agree to an extension with the player.
Because no extension was met, Thybulle will enter restricted free agency next summer. That means the Sixers can match any offer sent Thybulle’s way by an opposing team. And if they do so, that offer becomes Thybulle’s new contract. It’s a risky gambit, considering teams like Detroit and Indiana are young, flush with cap space, and light on perimeter defense. This is a primary concern that Swartz identified.
“The focus should instead shift to Thybulle, the defensive ace who didn’t come to terms on a contract extension in the offseason and will be a free agent next summer.”
With that on the table, it’s unlikely Sixers boss Daryl Morey lets Thybulle walk for nothing. That means either moving Thybulle before the trade deadline or orchestrating some sort of a sign-and-trade next summer with whatever team offers Thybulle a new contract.
For Thybulle’s part, there’s no question where he wants to spend the duration of his basketball career.
Thybulle: ‘I Would Always Want to Stay in Philly’
Ahead of training camp, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer published an interview with Thybulle. The pair talked about expectations this season, as well as the lack of a three-point-shooting elephant in the room. While Thybulle believes he can improve with time, he hopes that time is spent in the City of Brotherly Love.
“‘At this point, I would always want to stay in Philly,’ he said. ‘And if it’s up to me, that’s always going to be my choice,’” Pompey wrote on September 25.
Thus the question isn’t so much if Thybulle wants to stay, but whether his play warrants an extended stay in the City of Brotherly Love. If he’s been frozen out of the Sixers’ lineup this early, and with this many defensive problems plaguing Philadelphia’s lineup, it’s hard to see a bright future.