Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Thybulle’s defense making a difference
The rosters for the 2020 NBA Rising Stars challenge were to be released within days, and if there was a consensus around the Sixers, their coaches and the media know-italls ever hanging around, it was that one familiar rookie would make it complete.
It wouldn’t necessarily be the best-shooting candidate, or the highest drafted, or the one whose sneaker deal squeaked the loudest.
It wouldn’t be the biggest player, or the fastest one, or the one with the most triple-doubles.
It wouldn’t be a gravity-defying dunker, or even a mesmerizing passer.
It would be Matisse Thybulle. It had to be Matisse Thybulle.
How could it not have been Matisse Thybulle, for the way he could block a shot from behind, disrupt an entry pass, force NBA stars to stray from their offensive comfort zones, win 50-50 battles, make steals?
It was basketball that they would celebrate at the All-Star Weekend, was it not? If so, Thybulle belonged. As if. No, the forces that drive the NBA ever toward entertainment would not dip the velvet ropes for a player with defensive skills deep enough to break the Pac12 records of Gary Payton, among the best perimeter defenders ever. So there would be no Rising Stars extravaganza for Thybulle, who quietly had been hoping for it. Since there will be no game this season, in what would be his final year of Rising Stars eligibility, that means Thybulle’s All-Star Weekend opportunities likely have been exhausted. Yet any look at the 76ers and how they rolled an Eastern Conference-best 14-6 record into Indianapolis Sunday night must include subtle yet vital contributions of the best individual defensive player (non-rim-protector division) they have employed since Hall of Fame forward Bobby Jones. Thybulle has been …
“A difference-maker,” Doc Rivers said.
Rivers was discussing the Sixers’ 118-94 victory Friday over the Timberwolves, and how Thybulle was an absolute pest on the perimeter, his lengthy arms and pristine timing helping to annoy D’Angelo Russell and Ricky Rubio into a combined 5-for17 shooting. His presence in the passing lanes alone during his 22 minutes had the Timberwolves jumpy.
“He had 12 deflections by himself,” Rivers said, “in one quarter.”
That Rivers was so enthused by a player who’d provided just two points, one assist and no rebounds to a nice road victory didn’t say as much as his more recent actions. That includes a deeper commitment to Thybulle. Not more than three weeks ago, the secondyear guard was slipping the wrong way on Rivers’ depth chart, losing status as Tyrese Maxey showed an ability to score. For one reason, it was understandable: Thybulle is not a polished NBA-level shooter. That doesn’t mean he is near the Ben Simmons floor for jump-shooting incompetence, but he’s been successful on one-third of his 192 attempted career three-point shots.
There was a little more, though, that Rivers hoped to see, even on the defensive end.
“He gambled a lot,” Rivers said Sunday. “He put himself in some tough spots. As good as you are individually, you still have to stay within the team defensively. And I think he’s done a great job with that.”
Even with the Sixers having added shooters Danny Green and Seth Curry, with Maxey and Shake Milton able to score, and with Furkan Korkmaz still capable of uncorking the occasional flurry from distance, there is room for unique talent like Thybulle’s.
On most nights, including last week when he was not out of place matched against LeBron James, Thybulle’s defensive-stopper skill is a necessity.
“Overall, he is maturing a lot defensively,” Simmons said. “He’s gotten a lot better. He is going to take risky plays with steals and things. Against Rubio, you saw him getting a lot of defections and making it tough all over the floor.”
For years and with cause, Simmons has openly campaigned to be the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year. Joel Embiid, too, has slam-dunked his name into that mix. Thybulle doesn’t play enough for a serious candidacy. But even with Simmons and Embiid, he is the Sixers’ best defender, shift for shift.
“He stood out last year, and we pretty much knew what he could do,” Rivers said. “So I would not say he has surprised us at all. He’s probably better at it than I even thought. But I thought he was pretty good last year. I thought he was terrific.
“Offensively, we’re learning ways to use him better. He had some bad habits on defense that we needed to break. But he’s just doing great right now for us.”
Rivers’ use of personnel has been impressive, everything from down-shifting Milton to a sixth man to employing Maxey just enough to matter. Given his strengths, and his offensive limitations, Thybulle has been used just enough to matter at one end, while not being a problem at the other.
“We have new guys, all new coaches, a lot of things different this year,” Thybulle said. “We run a completely different offense and defense. And all of us has bought into what this coaching staff has brought to us. We trust them. And it’s proven to be successful.”
There could still be a hurried-up All-Star Game in March, though it would be a streamlined affair, likely absent the carnivalgame lead-ins. That means Thybulle likely will have lost his final chance at AllStar Weekend fame.
There is always, though, the regular-season, the postseason and the possibility that a team, a complete team, can compete for a championship. For that, the Sixers have the right defensive differencemaker, as Rivers said, in the right place at the right times.