76ers' Brett Brown Won't Rule out Starting Matisse Thybulle vs. Celtics

Could the Philadelphia 76ers mix up the starting lineup once again as the NBA Playoffs approach? Sixers head coach Brett Brown wouldn't reveal his exact plans for Game 1 against the Boston Celtics on Monday night, but making a potential change regarding the starting lineup is definitely a possibility. And if changes are, in fact, made ahead of Monday night, we could see a new starting lineup, which contains the Sixers' 2019 first-round draft selection, Matisse Thybulle.

It's been quite the season for the young guard. Thybulle went from an early-season standout to finding himself on the bench due to punishing mistakes on the floor. His benching wouldn't last long, however. As injuries forced the Sixers to make changes throughout the year, Thybulle's defense once again shined, leaving Brown with no choice but to utilize the rookie within the rotation.

At this point, Thybulle is excited to know he's earned the trust of his head coach and teammates. Just a few nights ago, Sixers head coach Brett Brown made it known that Thybulle will garner a "massive role" against the Celtics in the playoffs this year. At the time, though, Brown didn't mention the possibility of starting the rookie. 

But on Sunday afternoon, the idea was thrown out there. "We're talking a lot about doing different things," Brown revealed on Sunday. "[Starting Matisse Thybulle] is being considered. Obviously, I'm not going to tell [much more], but we're talking about a lot of things. Matisse will have a significant role defensively in this series." 

Who will get the lion's share of the workload defending the star that is Jayson Tatum? Brown wouldn't say -- but you can bet Thybulle and Josh Richardson will be heavily relied on as the Sixers will be without Ben Simmons and Glenn Robinson III for an extended period of time. Placing Thybulle in the starting lineup might not be the change we expected -- but it could end up being the change the Sixers need in order to slow up some of the Celtics' offensive stars.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_