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Doc Rivers on Monday was introduced as the next head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers and spoke very highly of his new team in a virtual press conference with the media.
Of course, the Sixers fired Brett Brown as head coach on Aug. 24 following a disappointing first-round sweep by the Boston Celtics. Brown led the Sixers to the playoffs in each of the past three seasons but failed to advance further than the second round.
The 76ers are hopeful that Rivers can guide the organization deep into the playoffs and moved quickly to hire him. Rivers said it is far too early to begin toying with potential lineups and rotations but likes what he has in his new team.
Rivers spent a portion of his press conference talking about the younger players on the team, like forward Matisse Thybulle. Rivers loves what Thybulle brings to the court defensively and believes he is already an elite defender.
I have talked to most of the guys; I talked to Matisse last night on the phone. He is an NBA All-Defensive player now. He has a chance right now to make a difference defensively. Offensively will be his next step, and we’ll work on that.
Thybulle emerged as a strong defender this season for the 76ers and even registered one NBA All-Defensive Second Team vote in the final polling results. He led all rookies with 1.4 steals per game while he ranked 16th among all players.
The future is certainly bright for Thybulle and if he can develop a consistent offensive game, he has the ability to become one of the best two-way players in the league. It will be worth monitoring how he can improve in that area under the guidance of Rivers.
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