The Philadelphia 76ers have been one of the top defensive teams in the league all season. Led by Joel Embiid down low and then Ben Simmons out on the perimeter, they have been making life miserable for opposing teams all season.
Not just Simmons out on the perimeter, there has also been the play of Matisse Thybulle off the bench who has been terrific as well. Whenever the team needs a big stop, the second-year guard out of Washington is ready to provide it.
Both Simmons and Thybulle have been worthy of being named to one of the All-Defensive Teams at the end of the season and ESPN’s Kevin Pelton gave his predictions for both of the All-Defensive Teams while including both of the team’s defensive studs.
Pelton had Simmons making the All-Defensive First Team:
While I don’t think Simmons has been the NBA’s most valuable defender this season, there’s less debate that he’s been the most valuable among point guards.
As for Thybulle, who has been a menace in the passing lanes forcing turnovers, he has him on the All-Defensive Second Team:
In terms of influence per possession played, there might not be a more impactful perimeter defender in the league than Thybulle, who has managed to translate his menacing play in a 2-3 zone at the University of Washington into (mostly) man-to-man schemes in the NBA without the miscues we saw as a rookie. Thybulle leads the league in steal rate and is blocking shots more frequently than the average center. Limited minutes (20.1 MPG) help Thybulle go all out when he’s on the court, but because he has played in all but three Sixers games, his total minutes aren’t far off those of many starters who have missed time.
Both Simmons and Thybulle have been a huge part of Philadelphia’s defensive success and they are definitely worthy of these predictions by Pelton. They will bother the hell out of whoever they play in the playoffs.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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