76ers Encouraged by Matisse Thybulle's Performance vs. Raptors
With the Philadelphia 76ers utilizing a nine-man rotation to start the year, several players who received steady playing time for the Sixers last year have struggled to see the floor early on this year.
Count Matisse Thybulle in as one of the Sixers who were on the outside looking in at the rotation through the first week of action. Despite being a critical member of the Sixers’ roster over the last few years due to his defensive value, Thybulle’s lack of offensive growth made him unplayable in certain situations.
During the 2022 NBA Playoffs, Thybulle hit a new low point with the Sixers as he was slowly getting phased out of the rotation. Over the offseason, Thybulle worked on his offensive development to keep his role steady. Although he showed improvements during the final two preseason games, it wasn’t enough to earn him an immediate role in the rotation this year.
Going into Friday night’s game against the Toronto Raptors, Thybulle was averaging fewer than two minutes on the court. During the Sixers’ Wednesday night matchup against the Raptors, Thybulle failed to see the floor at all, despite Philadelphia’s defensive struggles.
After going back and reviewing the film, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers wanted to bring another defensive weapon into the equation to expand the rotation on Friday night against the Raptors. Obviously, Thybulle is the best bet in that case.
“We talked to Matisse yesterday about it,” said Rivers on Friday. “Again, when we started the season, we really thought we liked the rotation we were gonna have. Honestly, it wasn’t working for us. We decided as a staff that we need to add a defensive guy to our group.”
The Sixers already know what Thybulle brings on the defensive end, but in order for him to keep a steady role in the rotation, he needs to prove he can be a two-way player rather than a defensive specialist. Throughout the offseason, the Sixers encouraged Thybulle to keep shooting. On Friday night, he did just that.
As Rivers and the 76ers expected, the Raptors tested Thybulle’s shooting as soon as he got in the game. When Thybulle had a wide-open three available to him, the veteran hesitated and opted to pass the ball away rather than let the three fly.
“Matisse comes in, and on the first play, he stands with the ball completely frozen,” Rivers recalled.
But Thybulle didn’t let his first mistake carry on for the rest of the night.
Shortly after Thybulle avoided chucking up a shot he should take one hundred percent of the time, the defensive standout attempted two-straight threes, drilling them both. While those two shots ended up being his only points for the night, Rivers left the matchup feeling quite encouraged about Thybulle’s performance.
“He’s worked on his shot, and he’s just got to keep shooting it,” Rivers continued. “I was really proud of him because that first play where he was just stuck with the ball, usually you don’t come back and shoot the next one. We told him you have to shoot those. Just like we left Barnes open tonight, and he kept shooting them and making them. It’s part of the process.”
Thybulle checked in for a season-high of 21 minutes on Friday. He hit on 40 percent of his threes, scoring six points off the bench. He also had three assists, three rebounds, two blocks, and one steal in Philadelphia’s 22-point victory over the Raptors.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
