The Philadelphia 76ers are heading into a prime time matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers down a couple of big players. They are down superstar defender Joel Embiid as well as Josh Richardson and that means the Sixers are going to have to come up with a plan to defend LeBron James.
The Lakers superstar is still playing at a ridiculously high level averaging 25.2 points, 10.8 assists, and 7.7 rebounds in his age 35 season. It truly is a marvel to watch him play at this level at his age.
So the question for the Sixers is: who defends him? That answer would include Matisse Thybulle who is turning in one of the more impressive defensive performances in the league.
“For the growth opportunity as much as anything,” said coach Brett Brown. “There would be a wait concession that it’s a little bit off-balanced, we love Matisse’s athleticism, we love his tenacity, but I haven’t found a drill where he can gain 40 pounds before tonight.”
That physicality is always something to consider when James weighs 250 pounds compared to Thybulle who weighs 201 pounds. It’s a new challenge for the Sixers rookie to take on and it will be interesting to see how he does.
“That physicality is sometimes hard to make up for with somebody as LeBron, but you get Matisse who’s playing good basketball and he’s a young guy, he’s got a chance to go gaurd one of the all-time greats, for sure, this is a tremendous opportunity for him,” Brown continued. “And one that I personally will learn more from.”
The Sixers and the Lakers tipoff at 8:30 p.m. EST from the Wells Fargo Center. [lawrence-related id=24182,24175,24168]