WILMINGTON, Del. — The Philadelphia 76ers convened at their G League affiliate’s home in Delaware on Saturday to have an intrasquad scrimmage as they continue to push toward opening night in Boston on Oct. 18.
The Sixers have high expectations as they chase a title, led by their star duo, Joel Embiid and James Harden. The two will be the engine that drives the machine in the City of Brotherly Love, but they will need help to get it done.
The Sixers brought in some additions that figure to help, but they will need internal improvement from players such as Matisse Thybulle as well. The defensive star out of Washington has established himself as one of the top defenders in the league, but his offense continues to lag.
Thybulle worked hard on his jumper all offseason, but he is 1-for-6 from deep to begin preseason play. However, coach Doc Rivers is happy that he is continuing to work as hard as he can on the shot. The work will eventually pay off.
“Just saying, it’s a work in progress,” said Rivers on Saturday. “All we can ask is he puts in the time, and I think he’s worked as hard as anybody. He put in a lot of time when it’s shot, but there’s so many things that go into it when you’re not a good shooter.”
The biggest thing with Thybulle is he’s at least taking those shots. He is at least not getting discouraged by a few misses and he will continue to grow as a shooter and help the Sixers succeed on the offensive end.
“Learning to be that learning to ignore misses and know that you put in the work and keep shooting,” Rivers added. “The problem is you miss a couple and then you start questioning. You stop shooting you stop and so far has not done that and that’s what we want him to do.”
As Rivers mentioned, this will continue to be a work in progress with Thybulle. The important part is, he is continuing to take open looks and he isn’t hesitating. Eventually, those shots will fall.
The Sixers will continue their preseason schedule on Monday when they travel to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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