Sixers' Matisse Thybulle Earns Rave Reviews for his Defense vs. Timberwolves
Philadelphia 76ers second-year guard Matisse Thybulle is having himself a week. On Monday, in the Sixers' loss against the Detroit Pistons, Thybulle was one of a very few standouts on Philly's side because of his suffocating defense.
Then on Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Lakers, Thybulle reportedly had LeBron James keeping an eye on the young guard because the superstar remembered just how good he could be on the defensive side of the ball.
Although Thybulle had extra attention on him during the Lakers game, he still came away with three steals on defense. On Friday afternoon, Thybulle mentioned that he feels respected by some of the league's best because of his defense, but he knows he also still has work to do moving forward.
"It [feels] good," Thybulle said on Friday following the Sixers' team-wide shootaround. "I think it's a sense of like, validation. Honestly, it just means that I have to keep getting better and get more creative because they're catching onto my tricks. So, I mean, it's all a challenge, but I'm just trying to get better every day."
On Friday night, Thybulle's defensive value was on display once again against the Minnesota Timberwolves. In 21 minutes off the bench, Thybulle took just three shots offensively, contributing to two points.
However, on defense, he picked up another three steals, blocked two shots, and kept his fouls limited to one. Thybulle's defensive value won't always show up on paper, but his teammates and head coach have no problem giving the second-year guard rave reviews because of his defense.
“We know what Matisse brings to the table defensively,” said Sixers forward Tobias Harris. “Tonight, you just saw an exhibition of how effective he is on the ball. He gets his hands on a lot of loose basketballs on the floor, his hustle, his length out there, you can put him on anybody pretty much one through five. He’s able to hold his own.”
Sixers guard Ben Simmons established himself as one of the league's better defenders a season before Thybulle even made it to the NBA. Last year, Simmons was finally crowned with a First-Team All-Defensive title. So, if there is one player who knows good defense -- it's Ben Simmons.
“He’s maturing a lot overall defensively,” Simmons said in regards to Thybulle. “He’s gotten a lot better. He picks and chooses when he’s gonna take riskier plays with steals and things like that. Tonight, you saw he was all in Rubio, getting a lot of deflections and making it tough all on the floor, so he’s gonna be a huge part of this team.”
Philly's head coach Doc Rivers has said many times in the past that Thybulle will have a notable role on the Sixers as long as he's patient and stays healthy. We didn't see it earlier in the season, but now the young guard's value is back on full display.
And while his lack of offense might make it hard to recognize how valuable he is, Rivers went as far as saying he'd offer Friday night's game ball to Thybulle over Sixers center Joel Embiid, who picked up a double-double with 37 points and 11 rebounds.
“He had 12 deflections by himself in one quarter,” Rivers said. “Joel was amazing, but if I were giving a game ball out, it probably would be Matisse or split it with those two. I thought he was a difference-maker. I thought he frustrated Rubio, and then I thought he was phenomenal against D’Angelo Russell. He’s just a hell of a defender, he’s got his legs under him now, he knows what we expect of him, and he’s been terrific.”
At this point, Thybulle seems to have earned himself a spot in the Sixers' rotation as a regular coming off the bench. While he could still use a lot of work on offense, he's once again proving he has the potential to become one of the league's best defenders. He'll just have to sustain this level of play.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_
