Matisse Thybulle is the 'Defensive Lou Williams' to Doc Rivers

When the Philadelphia 76ers' former front office entered the 2019-2020 offseason, they had a goal to build one of the league's best defensive teams. So, when the 2019 pre-draft process was going, the Sixers promised to draft Washington defensive standout Matisse Thybulle.

On draft night in 2019, Sixers General Manager Elton Brand kept his promise as he traded up with the Boston Celtics to snag Thybulle. Thybulle found himself playing notable minutes in year one as his defense was good enough to have him on the floor right away.

Although the Sixers want to see Thybulle improve his skillset on the other end of the floor, his defensive value alone makes it impossible to keep him on the bench. Thybulle is very much a part of Philly's key rotation -- and that doesn't seem to be changing anytime soon as he continues to dominate on defense.

Following Game 2 against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers made an interesting comparison to Thybulle. When asked about Philly's second-year defensive ace, Rivers compared him to three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year winner, Lou Williams. Except for Thybulle is just the defensive version.

“I guess you can say he’s our defensive Lou Williams,” Rivers said on Wednesday night. “Like Lou Williams, and I had Jamal Crawford, both offensively when you threw them in, you told them if they pass the ball once you are going to take them out. Their job was to score."

Being that Crawford and Williams were talented shooters, Rivers would advise them that their role is to bring a shooting spark off the bench. While Thybulle doesn't fit that bill exactly as his offense still needs work, he's one of the most talented defensive guards in the league.

"Matisse’s job is to get stops when he comes in," Rivers said in regards to Thybulle. "I haven’t had a lot of guys -- Tony Allen, I guess -- way back was very similar because he was coming off the bench for us.”

It's still early on in Thybulle's career, so there is plenty of time for him to develop his game and add more weapons to his arsenal. However, getting compared to a multi-time winner of the Sixth Man of the Year award is not a bad endorsement from the coach who worked with Lou Williams for many years.

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