Matisse Thybulle’s Patience Paid Off Against Cavs

Matisse Thybulle needed a big night. Going into training camp this offseason, there’s been plenty of talk regarding Thybulle’s offensive value.

As the defensive standout has struggled to improve his shot through his first three seasons in the NBA, Thybulle has seen his minutes dissolve as he’s become more of a defensive specialist rather than a two-way contributor.

All offseason long, Thybulle worked on improving his offense. The young wing reportedly participated in workouts with Bulls star DeMar DeRozan and Blazers star Damian Lillard. When he joined his 76ers teammates for training camp in Charleston, veterans such as Tobias Harris and Joel Embiid acknowledged Thybulle’s improved value on offense.

When it came time for Thybulle to showcase his development to the public in the Sixers’ first preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets, he came up short. In 18 minutes, Thybulle took four shots, draining just one attempt for three points.

In the second outing against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Thybulle posted a similar stat line as he missed all but one of his four shots and collected four points in 14 minutes.

The All-Defensive prospect wasn’t living up to the behind-the-scenes hype, but his coach encouraged the young guard to keep on shooting.

“It’s a work in progress,” said Doc Rivers over the weekend. “All we can ask is that he puts in the time, and I think he’s worked as hard as anybody. He put in a lot of time with his shot.”

Confidence is vital when it comes to shooting. Understanding that even some of the NBA’s best shooters sometimes go through slumps is the type of thinking that a player like Thybulle needs so he doesn’t shy away from shooting the ball when shots aren’t falling.

“Learning to be that and learning to ignore misses and know that you put in the work and keep shooting,” Rivers continued. “The problem is that you miss a couple, and then you start questioning, you stop shooting. So far, he’s not done that, and that’s what we want him to do.”

The Sixers visited the Cavaliers for a rematch on Monday night. Thybulle came off the bench for nearly 11 minutes, his lowest total playing time yet. When Thybulle had an opportunity to launch a three on one of his first attempts, he air-balled the shot.

Another three-point attempt later rimmed out. It was a bad look for the former first-rounder, but he didn’t stop trying. Four shots later, Thybulle ended the night by going 3-6 from the field. With five of those shots coming from long-range, Thybulle finished the game knocking down 60 percent of his threes for nine points.

Patience and confidence paid off for Thybulle during the Sixers’ third preseason outing in Cleveland. Now, he has to add another factor by becoming consistent. Thybulle will get another opportunity to build on Monday’s performance when the 76ers take the floor on Wednesday night to face the Charlotte Hornets for their preseason finale.

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