TJ McConnell Believes Sixers' Matisse Thybulle Had Pacers 'Panicked'

Former Philadelphia 76ers guard TJ McConnell knows good defense. While he wasn't a superstar standout in Philly, McConnell became one of the most beloved players in the City of Brotherly Love because of his relentlessness on defense.

Sixers' second-year guard Matisse Thybulle is following in the Indiana Pacers guard's footsteps. Since getting drafted to the Sixers last season, Thybulle has quickly established himself as a defensive pest after four successful seasons in college.

Although he was off to a slow start this season, Thybulle is finally back to his old ways this year. And over the last couple of weeks, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers has considered Thybulle to be one of Philly's most important players due to his defense over the last three outings.

Sunday's matchup against the Indiana Pacers might've been his best yet. As the Sixers trailed as many as 20 points in the second half, Doc Rivers relied heavily on Matisse Thybulle's defense to knock the Pacers out of their flow. In doing so, Rivers switched to a matchup zone defense, which is the system Thybulle thrived in at Washington.

"It felt good, we joked about it in the locker room. It was like getting back to the good old days of the zone when I was in college and I could just do whatever I wanted but with a little more structure," Thybulle said on Sunday. "It was fun. We kind of just threw it together played hard through it, and got some stuff done."

Doc Rivers planned to get the Pacers out of their rhythm by using the zone, and everything went as planned. According to former Sixers guard TJ McConnell, Thybulle's presence on the Sixers' defense had a lot to do with Indiana's struggles.

"Matisse Thybulle was getting his hands on a lot," McConnell said, according to Sixers.com reporter, Lauren Rosen. "[He was] making us hesitant to pass. I think we got in our own heads a little bit. We panicked."

Thybulle's stellar defense forcing the Pacers to get thrown off resulted in an unlikely 76ers comeback. Despite trailing 13 points heading into the fourth quarter, the Sixers clamped down on the Pacers and made shots when needed. Thybulle himself ended the game with eight points, one rebound, one assist, two blocks, and four steals. His performance helped the Sixers pick up a 119-110 win.

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