Matisse Thybulle Feels More 'Dynamic' Playing Alongside James Harden

The Philadelphia 76ers knew they had a phenomenal talent on the defensive side of the ball when they selected Matisse Thybulle in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft.

Ever since Thybulle joined the Sixers, his value on the defensive end of the ball alone has kept him in the rotation as he's grown to become one of the NBA's most talented perimeter defenders.

During his rookie year, Thybulle averaged just under 20 minutes on the floor in 65 games. Last year, he averaged exactly 20 minutes in 65 games. This season, Thybulle has not only seen his minutes increase to 25 minutes per game but he's started in 43 of the 58 games he's appeared in.

While Thybulle's increased role has a lot to do with the fact he's Philly's best perimeter defender, the third-year veteran is slowly improving his production on the offensive end as well.

Thybulle's three-point shot isn't quite there yet as he's averaged 31-percent from deep on roughly two attempts per game this year, but the young standout has found other ways to score and is reaping the benefits of having a dynamic scoring guard James Harden playing alongside him.

Praising James

"It's been great," said Thybulle when discussing playing with Harden. "I think James has made me a much more dynamic player just because of the attention he draws and the way teams are trying to guard me. Me being able to cut and space the floor in so many different ways actually creates a lot of opportunities for us offensively, and just my ability to cut to create shots for the guys and myself. It's just been a fun thing to kind of play with."

Before Harden jumped on board with the Sixers via trade, Thybulle averaged 49-percent from the field and 28-percent from three while putting up 5.6 points per game in 43 matchups.

Ever since James Harden made his Sixers debut on February 25 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Thybulle has seen an increase in each of those categories as he's drained 53-percent of his shots and 43-percent of his threes while putting up 6.9 points per game in the last 15 matchups.

While Thybulle acknowledges his offense is still a work in progress, the third-year veteran is visibly gaining more comfort in that area of the game. With a couple more weeks left in the regular season, the Sixers could really benefit from Thybulle continuing to increase his offensive value ahead of the postseason.

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