Matisse Thybulle Discusses Lack of Confidence Lately in NBA Playoffs
Philadelphia 76ers' defensive ace Matisse Thybulle is no stranger to playing in the NBA Playoffs. Since his rookie season in 2019-2020, Thybulle has had a key role with the Sixers coming off the bench as he's established himself as one of the NBA's best perimeter defenders.
In his first postseason with the Sixers, Thybulle averaged 18 minutes on the floor in the four-game series against the Boston Celtics, which resulted in a sweep in favor of Boston.
Then during Thybulle's sophomore season last year, the young wing appeared in 12 games throughout a two-round stretch, averaging 18 minutes on the floor once again.
Considering the playoffs are nothing new to Thybulle, it seemed he was in good shape for the 2022 playoff run since this would be his third go-round. However, as he found himself in a tough spot in the first round, Thybulle's had a hard time recovering.
Since the Sixers drew a first-round matchup against the Toronto Raptors, Thybulle became ineligible to play on the road in Canada due to his vaccination status.
With Thybulle set to miss at least two games in the first round, the Sixers rolled with Danny Green in the starting lineup. And when the Sixers did play at home, Thybulle saw fewer minutes on the floor and looked out of rhythm at times, not only on the offensive end but also on defense.
Being in and out of the Sixers' lineup in the first round, it seemed like Thybulle was in a funk. Sixers head coach Doc Rivers and a few of Thybulle's teammates agreed with that notion. And on Sunday morning, ahead of Philadelphia's Game 4 matchup against the Miami Heat, Thybulle discussed his recent slump.
A Shot to the Confidence
“Like I said before, losing the rhythm of the Toronto series was a huge blow to my confidence and just everything on the court," said Thybulle, according to Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire. "Now, with each game, feeling more and more comfortable and like myself. Missing games in the playoffs is much harder than missing games in the regular season. I had no concept of what that would be like, especially missing games and then going from the starting lineup to coming off the bench. So yeah, it was massive. I definitely didn’t think it was gonna affect me as much as it did, but it definitely had an impact.”
Thybulle never got his starting job back after Danny Green earned the right to stay in the starting five with his performance against the Raptors, but Thybulle is back to averaging close to 18 minutes as a full-time participant once again.
While his offensive value is still a work in progress, Thybulle is starting to look like himself again on the defensive end, which is an excellent sign for the Sixers, who evened the series score against the Heat with a win on Sunday.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
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