Doc Rivers Explains Decision to Start Green Over Thybulle vs. Pacers

Going into the 2021-2022 NBA season, Philadelphia 76ers' third-year wing Matisse Thybulle was a reserve for the team. As the Sixers liked Thybulle as a

Going into the 2021-2022 NBA season, Philadelphia 76ers' third-year wing Matisse Thybulle was a reserve for the team. As the Sixers liked Thybulle as a situational defender and believed they could rely on Danny Green as a long-range shooter and floor spacer, Doc Rivers stuck with a similar game plan as last year.

But Danny Green wasn't as reliable this year throughout the season. While he had some solid games, Green was in and out of the lineup due to injuries, and he struggled to find consistency on the court.

Eventually, Rivers looked to utilize Thybulle as a full-time starter. While he was sprinkled into the starting lineup here and there, he went on a long streak of appearing in the starting lineup, beginning on December 20. 

For 41-straight games, Rivers started Thybulle. The third-year veteran averaged 26 minutes on the floor during that time. This week, the streak ended as the young defensive ace wasn't cleared to play against the Toronto Raptors on the road as COVID restrictions deemed him ineligible to play in Toronto.

Therefore, Doc Rivers made the obvious move to promote Green to the starting lineup once again. While Green's been up and down all year long, he had a stellar outing in Toronto as he knocked down seven threes and collected 18 points.

With Thybulle back in the mix for Saturday's game against the Indiana Pacers, it seemed Rivers would go back to his original lineup by swapping Green and Thybulle. However, Green picked up his second-straight start.

Doc's Decision

"We talked about it before, just for continuity's sake [we started Danny Green]," said Doc Rivers. "You know, and I do like that it's tough for teams to game plan. I like being able to do either one because the surprise is always good."

Starting Green made sense for several reasons beyond continuity's sake. Not only could the Sixers face the Raptors in the first round of the playoffs, which would eliminate Thybulle's availability for half of the series, but Green helps with the starting lineup's recent spacing issues, which is something James Harden has highlighted as one of Philly's critical issues.

"Danny's got experience, and he just brings more spacing," said Harden after Saturday's game. "We're trying to juggle it. Obviously, Matisse missed the last game, and we're trying to juggle out how we're gonna play depending on who we play against in the postseason."

While Green hasn't been totally reliable this season, he's looked a lot better over the last two matchups. After producing 18 points on Thursday in Toronto, the veteran followed up with a 15-point outing on Saturday versus Indiana.

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