The Philadelphia 76ers will rely on their star duo of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons to get the job done in the playoffs, but there are other role players on the roster who are doing what they are asked to perfection.
The Sixers have begun to turn to other youngsters in their Round 1 playoff series such as Matisse Thybulle and Tyrese Maxey who have played large roles for the team thus far. With Thybulle taking on a huge role on the defensive end and Maxey providing the offense, the two of them have formed a bit of a partnership.
They each have their own strengths on one end of the floor and they help each other out with the other end where their “weakness” is at.
“I don’t know if I want Tyrese watching Matisse a whole bunch, if you want me to be honest,” laughed coach Doc Rivers. “Matisse is very similar to (Rajon) Rondo and Tony Allen where they break a lot of rules, but they’re good enough to do it. We give Matisse a lot of freedom defensively because he’s able to make up ground and do things that most human beings can’t.”
Both Thybulle and Maxey have had a very good start to this playoff series with the Washington Wizards. Thybulle has bothered Bradley Beal with his maniacal defense and Maxey has provided the Sixers with a bit of a spark when the team calls for it. He was big in both Games 1 and 2 at home to begin the series.
[exco_embed id=”d8b9c085-4226-44f1-8495-36ad4e2aa62d”]
“I’m just seeing two young guys that are taking everything in,” said Tobias Harris. “Matisse has impacted the game defensively the way that he has been is key. Tyrese coming in and being ready. In Game 1, Tyrese comes in and gets an And-1 bucket. I was like man, he doesn’t even know this, but that was one of the biggest shots of the game because of the way the runs were going. So he’s coming to work every day and he’s really enjoying the whole experience.”
In Game 2, there was one specific instance where Thybulle cut back door and Maxey found him for a layup. It’s plays like that one that define chemistry and it allows younger players to grow. It’s clear that the two of them talk about the game a lot and they see things most players don’t.
“I love that that energy and that synergy,” Rivers added. “The play the other night where Tyrese, what we call rocket passes it to Matisse, and Matisse racked to the basket, that’s good stuff. That’s instinctive basketball by both of them. I thought that was wonderful to see.”
Along with the other younger players on this roster like Paul Reed, Rayjon Tucker, and Isaiah Joe, there are lot of players who can help in the long term.
“I just think the both of them are doing a great job,” said Harris. “There will be times where we play games and we got a lineup out there of Tyrese, Isaiah, Paul Reed, Tuck out there as well and Matisse sometimes, I just look at that group and I say man, the future is great even for these guys and, three or four years from now, these guys are going to be mature players that are going to help us and that’s key for our team and our organization.”
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
[mm-video type=playlist id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f5k5xtr64thj7fw2 image=https://sixerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
[vertical-gallery id=46444]
[lawrence-related id=46489,46486,46483]