Sixers' Matisse Thybulle Took a Step in the Right Direction vs. Magic
Heading into the 2020-2021 NBA season, Philadelphia 76ers sophomore Matisse Thybulle didn't have much of a role in Doc Rivers' rotation.
After getting a lot of playing time last season under former Sixers head coach Brett Brown, Thybulle is back to square one as he has to remain patient and seize every opportunity when he gets into the game as he was evidently left out of the key rotation to start the year.
With Furkan Korkmaz injured and out of the lineup, Thybulle became the Sixers' tenth man in the team's rotation. Leading up to Thursday night's game against the Orlando Magic, Thybulle hardly contributed anything to the Sixers offensively this year.
Finally, on Thursday, Thybulle put up his first points of the season. In nearly 18 minutes of action off the bench, the second-year guard accounted for nine points as he shot three-for-five from the field.
One decent performance isn't going to guarantee Thybulle minutes when Korkmaz gets back -- but Doc Rivers once again assured everybody that the second-year guard remains an important factor to the Sixers.
“Matisse is gonna be a key player for this basketball team," Rivers said following Thursday night's victory. "I thought his first half on both ends was phenomenal. "[In the] second half, I was a little upset because he had, I think, two threes that he passed up and tried to drive, and I told him when you’re open, let it fly. He did that in the first half, but defensively, in the second half, he was phenomenal."
Although Thybulle garnered many minutes in year one, there was a point early on last season when he had to take a step back and watch his team from the bench for a stretch of games. This year, he basically started the season off doing the same, but this time around, he's prepared and knows how to handle it.
“I’d say it was fairly similar to what happened last year,” Thybulle said. “I have to fight for a place in the rotation, and it was hit or miss up and down, so it’s nothing new. I didn’t come into the season with any expectations to be on the floor based on what I did last year. I knew I was gonna have to earn it, and I think I’m in the process of doing that right now.”
Thursday's performance was a step in the right direction, but Thybulle has a lot of work to do if he wants to remain in the rotation a couple of weeks from now. The second-year guard will have an opportunity to build on his progress on Saturday night as the 76ers return home to face the Charlotte Hornets.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_
