MIAMI — Philadelphia 76ers wing Matisse Thybulle thrives off playing with a ton of energy and being able to wreck havoc with his defensive ability and his wingspan. He is a guy who gives teams a lot of trouble whenever he is on the floor.
However, he got off to a tough start to the playoffs because he wasn’t allowed to be a full-time player in Round 1 with the Toronto Raptors due to Canada’s vaccination rule. He was only able to play in home games and it seems that it’s thrown off his rhythm a bit.
To begin this series with the Miami Heat, Thybulle has gotten back to being a full-time player, but he just seems off a bit. He hasn’t made the big impact on the defensive end that he normally does and he looks very hesitant to even shoot the ball on the offensive end of the floor.
Maybe his head just isn’t in it at the moment
“I think that’s fair,” said coach Doc Rivers. “I thought today (Game 2) he was good. I thought today he looked like Matisse again. Moving forward that’s a good sign for us.”
Thybulle did an average job on Heat guard Tyler Herro. The NBA’s 6th Man of the Year still scored 18 points and Thybulle did commit a silly foul on him shooting a 3, but the Sixers like what they saw from him on that end.
“It hasn’t been easy just the last series him not being able to play on the road,” said Tobias Harris. “But I think tonight his effort was huge out there guarding Herro and you saw him getting into his groove of where he was and what he does for our team. I just think game after game, he’s gonna build up that confidence as well.”
The Sixers are obviously shorthanded right now without Joel Embiid. In order to climb back into this series with the Heat, they will need everybody to get involved and help. That includes Thybulle.
“Obviously, he’s gonna get his looks on the offensive end when he’s open to shoot the 3s,” Harris added. “Overall, defensively, I saw a lot of energy from him tonight and the impact that he brings on that end for us is huge and we’re gonna need him this whole series. Especially, when we’re back at home trying to get a W.”
The Sixers and the Heat will tip-off at 7 p.m. EDT on Friday for Game 3 of this series.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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