The Philadelphia 76ers will definitely be sending Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons to Chicago as both players have been selected as All-Stars for the game on February 16, but the Sixers were hoping to have another representative with rookie Matisse Thybulle in the Rising Stars Challenge.
Unfortunately, Thybulle did not get selected for the game as he was snubbed from the roster. It was an unfortunate development as he has made plenty of strides throughout the season and he is leading all rookies in steals and he is fifth in blocks despite being only 17th in minutes.
It just seemed that he got punished because he plays defense and it did not sit well with his agent, Eric Goodwin. He sent in a statement to Yahoo! sports criticizing the assistant coaches who did not select him.
Matisse Thybulle’s agent Eric Goodwin submits statement to @YahooSports on behalf of client being snubbed from Rising Stars game. Notice reference to “ASSistant coaches.” pic.twitter.com/Fu7Y3HVjR1
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 31, 2020
Thybulle is only averaging 4.6 points on the season, but he is on his way to becoming one of the elite defenders in the league. His 3-point shooting percentage of 36.6% also makes him one of the better 3-and-D players in the league. It’s a shame that he did not get a nod for the game in Chicago. [lawrence-related id=24643,24619,24610]