'Mathief' Thybulle: 76ers Consider Him a Steal - And a Starter
Matisse Thybulle began the week by blowing a food order he picked up for his teammates, a misdeed that went viral on Twitter. He ended it in the Philadelphia 76ers' starting lineup, a move sure to make rivals more annoyed.
Either way, the rookie has shown himself to be hungry.
The first-year player from the University of Washington -- known in the pros as "Mathief" -- hasn't missed a step as a defensive genius.
Starting for the fourth and fifth outings in his career, and for the first time since Nov. 29, Thybulle helped the 76ers beat Brooklyn 117-106 and on Friday night pull away from Chicago 100-89.
"For me, it's just being able to step up to the plate," Thybulle said. "It's exciting to be versatile, not just like a one-trick pony, but being able to guard multiple positions, multiple types of players. I like to take pride in doing that."
His extraordinary wingspan and court anticipation has made him an irritant to opposing NBA guards, same as he did on the college level. He had 4 blocks and 2 steals against the Nets, causing Kyrie Irving all sorts of anguish. He helped send the Bulls' Zach Lavine through an 0-for-7 shooting night from 3-point range.
Thybulle told reporters how he guarded Lavine in his first high school game, when he was a freshman at Skyline High School and Lavine played as a senior for Bothell High, both in Seattle's Eastside suburbs.
He's one of four former Huskies now starting in the NBA, joining Markelle Fultz of Orlando, Isaiah Thomas of Washington and Dejounte Murray of San Antonio, all guards.
76ers coach Brett Brown said it was time to increase Thybulle's role in order to let him grow as an NBA player, and he sat down veteran James Ennis. Thybulle played 36 minutes against the Bulls.
"It is most definitely on my mind to increase his role and give him more responsibility/minutes in whatever is a rational way to deliver him to the playoffs, where he has an actual role," Brown said, already eying the postseason.
The knock on Thybulle entering the NBA was from the offensive end, that he didn't have a 3-point shot, but he's come through with a 41-percent effort behind the line so far. His coach seems more than satisfied with him, making Thybulle a full-fledged starter now.
"It's cool, it's kind of been a process of just earning his trust," Thybulle said of Brown. "I think at the beginning, I didn't deserve a lot of it and he's allowed me to play through a lot of mistakes."