When one thinks about defense with the Philadelphia 76ers, the two players that come to mind are Joel Embiid and Matisse Thybulle. Embiid is the one who cleans up any mistakes at the rim as he’s one of the best at protecting the basket and then Thybulle does a helluva job of locking down guys on the perimeter.
On Friday, the NBA announced their All-Defensive Teams for the 2021-22 season and Thybulle was named to the All-Defensive Second Team. He joins Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday, and Boston Celtics big man Robert Williams III for the postseason defensive honor.
The 2021-22 Kia NBA All-Defensive Second Team:
🏀 Bam Adebayo (Miami)
🏀 Draymond Green (Golden State)
🏀 Jrue Holiday (Milwaukee)
🏀 Matisse Thybulle (Philadelphia)
🏀 Robert Williams III (Boston) pic.twitter.com/UJiVcGMyUw— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 21, 2022
Thybulle, spending most of his minutes as a starter, averaged a career-high 1.7 steals as well as 1.1 blocks. The fact that he was able to get as many blocks as he does as a perimeter player has always been impressive and being able to make a big impact on that end was huge for the Sixers.
It was a bit surprising that Embiid did not make either team after he averaged 1.5 blocks as well as 1.1 steals. There isn’t a lot that the 7-foot MVP runner-up can’t do. He is just one of the best players in the game on both ends of the floor and his defensive effort shows that.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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