Doc Rivers Explains Matisse Thybulle’s Lack of Minutes

Since making his Philadelphia 76ers debut back in 2019, Matisse Thybulle has mostly had a role in the team’s rotation. While there have been times Thybulle’s lack of offensive consistency has kept him off the floor, the fourth-year wing has appeared in 198 games, averaging 21 minutes on the floor since getting drafted 20th overall in 2019.

Going into the 2022-2023 NBA season, Thybulle worked on improving his offense. Knowing his struggling shot has prevented him from taking the floor in certain situations, the former first-rounder understood he needed to improve his offensive value.

Thybulle got off to a slow start in the preseason, but his final two games were much better in terms of shooting and scoring on offense. Not to mention, his defense was still sharp. Despite showing improvements on the offensive end, Thybulle has still had a difficult time cracking the rotation so far this year.

Through two games against the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks, Thybulle has appeared on the court for a total of 41 seconds. After Thursday’s game at home against Milwaukee, Doc Rivers explained why there is a lack of minutes for Thybulle currently.

“It’s just the other guys,” said Rivers, according to Sixers Wire’s Ky Carlin. “It’s a pecking order right now.”

Over the offseason, the Sixers added multiple two-way reserves by bringing in De’Anthony Melton and Danuel House Jr. With those additions, players like Thybulle, Furkan Korkmaz, and Shake Milton have struggled to get playing time. Will that trend last a while for Thybulle? Rivers doesn’t indicate that will be the case.

“He’s working his butt off, and he’ll play,” Rivers continued, per Carlin. “He’ll get a chance to earn more minutes at some point for sure, but right now, Danuel House and the De’Anthony (Melton) are in front of him. We’re going with a smaller rotation, but he’ll have a chance to earn minutes at some point.”

Not counting the number of rotating backup centers, the Sixers have rolled with a nine-man rotation to start the year, which is a bit unusual for Rivers. Since it’s a long season, players will inevitably miss games, and the rotation could expand over time.

In the event that happens, Thybulle might see a promotion. But for now, the fourth-year wing remains a defensive specialist until further notice.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.

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