Matisse Thybulle studied Gary Payton, Chris Paul and others on defense

The 76ers studied several players over the years on defense to learn how to play the passing lanes.

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Philadelphia 76ers rookie Matisse Thybulle emerged as a key defender this season and often found his way onto the court due to his ability to help create turnovers.

Thybulle was touted as a strong perimeter defender heading into the 2019 NBA Draft and he lived up to those expectations. Not only did Thybulle lead all rookies with 80 steals but he also ranked 22nd among all players in that category.

As Thybulle was coming up through the ranks, he revealed in a Q&A on Twitter that he studied a variety of players on that end of the floor and not just one player, in particular.

“I can’t say there was one player that I tried to model my game defensively after but there were a handful of guys who I watched and like to take things from their game,” Thybulle said. “Gary Payton, Chris Paul, D-Wade but other guys who just played passing lanes really well or did little things to get steals. For me, just trying to figure as many ways to force steals and create steals is something that I try to learn.”

While Thybulle has often made it look easy on defense, he admitted it has been hard at times adjusting to the higher competition level in the NBA. He mentioned Kawhi Leonard as his toughest defensive assignment this season given his ability to get to his spots and rise up for the shot.

After showing an elite ability on defense as a rookie, Thybulle appears on track to become one of the best defenders in the NBA for several years to come.

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