The Philadelphia 76ers have been dealing with a variety of issues that have caused a lot of their main pieces to miss games. Rookie Matisse Thybulle was the latest to deal with this problem after he suffered a right knee sprain that caused him to miss seven games.
That all changes now as he has been cleared and he is expected to be available on Thursday when the team takes on the Boston Celtics. However, as one main piece returns, another one leaves with an injury as Joel Embiid is out for Thursday’s game after the finger injury he suffered in Monday’s win.
That means there are a few changes to how the Sixers do things. They have already begun to make changes as coach Brett Brown came to the realization that he has to call plays for his team offensively and he did most of that while Thybulle was out. That means veteran Tobias Harris had to step in and make sure his rookie was on the same page with everything.
“I always wanted him to stay locked in,” said Harris. “Get to the arena at the same time, stay in your routine, I think routine is big over the course of a season and not getting out of that. So I’m always throwing an iPad to him with the personnel on there and quizzing him a little bit after to make sure his mind is locked in.”
It’s always important to stay ready to play even when you aren’t healthy. The importance of having a veteran like Harris who can show Thybulle the ropes is something that can really be a big part of his development moving forward.
“Really what we did was try not to change anything,” said Thybulle. “So my pregame routine, aside from working out, was the same. I still went to the scouts, I still went through the game plans, Tobias still gave me the iPad with the plays, like it was still the same because there was no reason for me to get out of that routine.”
The relationship between rookie and veteran has been one to watch on this team. To have a guy like Harris, who is a well-respected veteran, take a guy like Thybulle under his wing has been instrumental for his development.
“So when he comes back, it’s second nature,” Harris added. “It’s always good to step away and evaluate, especially while you can’t play, but to have your mind locked into the game.”
Now how did Thybulle do on these quizzes?
“He does good,” Harris said with a smile. “He’s about a B+ student right now.”
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