The NBA Playoffs continue on inside the bubble as the Eastern Conference Finals begin on Tuesday night with the Miami Heat taking on the Boston Celtics. That collective groan heard is the sound of Philadelphia 76ers fans having to suffer through those two teams making it this far.
The Celtics, of course, took out the Sixers in Round 1 of the playoffs in a quick sweep and sent Philadelphia into an important offseason. With the NBA Draft coming up, we have decided to take a look back at some Sixers draft decisions from the past starting with 2019.
June 20, 2019
The Sixers were looking to build off their success of the previous season as they had come to within just a few bounces of going to overtime in Game 7 of the semifinals. They held the 24th pick in the draft, but they head their eye on an elite defender out of the Pac-12 at Washington.
General manager Elton Brand pulled the trigger on a deal that sent the 24th and the 33rd pick to the Celtics in order to move up and select Matisse Thybulle at 20th overall. It was a move that was a bit confusing as it was obvious the Sixers needed a bit more shooting and he only shot 30.5% from deep in his senior season, but Brand ignored that as he saw his defensive acumen.
In his rookie season, Thybulle was certainly impressive. He went toe-to-toe with some of the game’s biggest stars and he did not back down earning their respect right away. He finished the season only averaging 4.7 points and he shot 35.7% from deep, but he averaged 1.4 steals per game and he led the entire rookie class in total steals and he also earned a start in the playoffs after holding Jayson Tatum to 2-for-9 shooting in Game 1.
Thybulle earned his stripes in the NBA fairly quickly as a rookie in Philadelphia and that should allow him to jumpstart his career even faster going into his second season. He does have to come back with a consistent jump shot to truly become the 3-and-D player the team envisions, but the defense is already there at a high level. [lawrence-related id=37664,37660,37656]