WASHINGTON — The Philadelphia 76ers continue their four-game road trip on Tuesday when they visit the Washington Wizards having won eight games in a row. They have been playing excellent basketball and risen in the East standings.
They have received production up and down the roster, but it has been peculiar that Matisse Thybulle has been in and out of the rotation. The defensive star out of Washington has made an impact when he has played. The Sixers are 4-1 when he starts, and he always seems to make a play.
After playing 13:02 in a Dec. 21 win over the Detroit Pistons, Thybulle played 33 seconds against the Los Angeles Clippers and only 3:54 on Christmas Day against the New York Knicks.
“Just show up every day and be ready for whatever’s to come,” said Thybulle. “I never really know what to expect. So it’s just being ready. You never want that to be why you don’t perform well. So not allowing that to be an excuse.”
Even with his minutes so inconsistent, Thybulle remains professional and wants the focus to be on the team. Whatever he is dealing with, he is going to do so individually.
“Just a new challenge as is everything,” he added. “Just a new challenge. Not something I’m not familiar with.”
As a rookie, Thybulle’s minutes were up and down. There was a stretch where he would play a slew of minutes and then be stuck on the bench in others.
The difference in how he handles the situation now is he has time in the league. This is his fourth season so he understands how rosters are run.
“When I was a rookie, emotions would have a stronger toll on me and that would change my attitude or change my behaviors,” he admitted. “Now, I guess you can see it’s not something that weighs — there’s no dark cloud looming over me. It’s just, I think as a professional, you learn how to weather the storms and still show up and do your job.”
[mm-video type=playlist id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f5k5xtr64thj7fw2 image=]
[listicle id=72811]
[lawrence-related id=72826,72816,72808]