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When the Philadelphia 76ers made a trade with the rival Boston Celtics on draft night of 2019 to move up and select Matisse Thybulle out of Washington, it was a move met with questions. There were a lot of issues with the move considering Philadelphia needed shooting, but the team had a vision for him and he was impressive.
Thybulle was absolutely terrific on the defensive end of the floor and he now looks like a steal at 22 in his draft. His play on the defensive end of the floor earned him the respect of his teammates and the league as it was a solid rookie season.
2019-20 season averages
4.7 points
1.6 rebounds
1.2 assists
1.4 steals
42.3% overall percentage
35.7% from deep
Thybulle definitely has a long way to go when it comes to his offense, but his defense really is top-notch. He led all rookies in steals by a wide margin with 94 total steals. The next closest rookie was Cam Reddish of the Atlanta Hawks who came in with 62 steals. Thybulle also finished fourth among all rookies in blocks with 47.
Offensively, it was a learning experience for him. There was a 14-game stretch where he shot an astonishing 56.4% from deep from November 27 through December 21, but he then shot 27.8% from deep throughout the end of the regular season. He then shot only 1-for-4 from deep in the playoffs against the Celtics.
Still, Thybulle’s defense is elite enough to get him the necessary court time to improve as an offensive player.
In the playoffs, Thybulle continued to learn the NBA game. He did a great job against Celtics star Jayson Tatum in Game 1 holding him to 2-for-9 shooting which earned him a start in Game 2, but Tatum then shook him off and knocked down some tough shots. Thybulle’s lack of offense was then not enough to keep him on the floor for long stretches.
For the offseason, he needs to work on his shooting. He has the potential to be an elite 3-and-D player in this league. He already has the defensive part of it down, but if he can come back with a jumper, then Philadelphia will really have a player to build with for a very long time. [lawrence-related id=37343,37340,37337]