Philadelphia 76ers guard Matisse Thybulle has emerged as a top-tier defender in his first season in the NBA and is beginning to solidify his role as a two-way player.
The skills that Thybulle brought to Washington for four years, which earned him the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award, have carried over into the NBA through his first 28 games.
Take, for example, his performance last week against the Boston Celtics.
The first-round pick was matched up for much of the evening on Kemba Walker, a daunting cover for most players. But as his primary defender, Thybulle held Walker to just 3-of-9 shooting from the field while he blocked his shot twice.
As a result of his defensive effort, Thybulle is beginning to rank among the leaders on that end of the floor. He is 17th among all players in steals, fourth in deflections per 36 minutes and, as pointed out by Tim Bontemps of ESPN, has rated as the seventh-best defender, according to FiveThirtyEight.
Thybulle is beginning to turn into a legitimate shooting threat, too. In nine December games, Thybulle is averaging 6.8 points, 2.1 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.3 rebounds per game, while he is shooting 57.1% (16-of-28) from 3-point range.
The Sixers were attracted to Thybulle in the draft for his ability on defense and he has certainly lived up to that expectation. Now that he is draining 3-pointers, Thybulle is earning playing time and is contributing at a high level as of late.
Next up for the Sixers: A home matchup vs. the Mavericks on Friday.
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