76ers' Matisse Thybulle Never Makes it to Philly in 2019 NBA Re-Draft

With the 2020 NBA Draft likely to be pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic, mock draft season seems to have been put on hold for the time being. Lately, the time has been spent looking back at draft classes, and seeing all of the should've, could've, would've scenarios for the Philadelphia 76ers and others.

Recently, Bleacher Report re-drafted the 2019 NBA Draft class. And based on the results, the 76ers did quite an excellent job in the first round. Last season, the Sixers were able to formulate a trade with the Boston Celtics in order to acquire Washington rookie, Matisse Thybulle, with the 20th overall pick in the draft.

While the selection of Thybulle initially received mixed reviews around Philly, the Sixers never second-guessed themselves. For quite a while, the Philly front office had a strong desire to draft the defensive-minded guard. And on draft night, the Sixers made it official as they acquired the Washington prospect.

If the Minnesota Timberwolves had a crystal ball, though, the Sixers likely would've never gotten their hands on Thybulle. According to BR's 2019 NBA Re-Draft, Matisse Thybulle shot up the big boards and landed with the T'Wolves at No. 11.

"Not even 60 games into his NBA career, Thybulle is already a special defensive stopper with positional versatility. His offensive outlook might be cloudy, but he'll be very interesting if he can keep his three-point percentage near 35."

The Sixers rookie might've seen his first-year struggles on the offensive side of the ball, but defensively, his skillset transitioned well to the NBA. At this point in his rookie season, Thybulle leads the NBA in total steals for first-year players.

It's still too early in his career to tell if the Thybulle pick was a slam dunk for the Sixers. But seeing as though he shot up to No. 11 after coming off the board at No. 20 roughly about a year ago proves that the 76ers had good instincts when selecting Thybulle.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_

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