The Philadelphia 76ers received a lot of big performances out of guys like Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and Tobias Harris on Wednesday night in their Game 2 win over the Washington Wizards, but there was one player off the bench who stood out a bit.
Once again, Matisse Thybulle made a huge impact on the game as he hopped off the bench and he had a ridiculous four steals and five blocks in less than 20 minutes played in the win. That is the type of production that gets noticed off the bench and is going to be key in Philadelphia’s playoff run.
Coach Doc Rivers has had plenty of special players off his bench such as Lou Williams, Jamal Crawford, and others, but they were offensive players. Thybulle has the same impact, but on the defensive end.
“I guess you can say he’s our defensive Lou Williams,” laughed Rivers after the win. “Like Lou Williams I had and I had Jamal Crawford, both offensively when you threw them in, and you told them if they pass the ball once you are going to take them out. Their job was to score. Matisse’s job is to get stops when he comes in. I haven’t had a lot of guys Tony Allen, I guess, way back, was very similar because he was coming off the bench for us.”
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There are not many guys who can hop off the bench and make a huge impact on a team’s success, but that is what Thybulle does. He does not do it on the offensive end, but he does it defensively and that is what is most impressive about his game. He is going to continue to make an impact for the Sixers as they continue on this playoff run.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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