Sixers Rookie Matisse Thybulle Could Slowly Begin to See His Minutes Vanish

Sixers rookie Matisse Thybulle has been a contributor all season long, but his opportunities could soon disappear as the playoffs approach.

The development of Philadelphia 76ers rookie Matisse Thybulle has been somewhat of a roller coaster ride this season. While nobody questions the rookie's defensive value on the Sixers, his offensive contributions have almost been non-existent as of late.

Thybulle has the tools to become an excellent two-way player for the team that banked on him in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft. More than halfway through his debut season, though, he hasn't been able to put it all together consistently.

There were flashes of explosiveness on offense back in December when Thybulle drained five three-pointers for a career-high of 20 points against Toronto. But there have also been games where Thybulle struggles to even contribute to a single point.

In February, Thybulle has averaged under four points-per-game. While his defense is helpful, the lack of scoring has made it hard for the Sixers to consistently trot out the rookie as their team is struggling offensively as a whole.

That's become clear as Thybulle has seen a dip in his average minutes-per-game as of late. In January, Thybulle was picking up 26 minutes-per-game. This month, that number is down to 19. Not too long ago, Sixers' head coach Brett Brown made it a point he was going to continue to send Thybulle out on the floor no matter what to develop him for the playoffs. Now, he's beginning to sing a different tune.

Recently, the Sixers made a trade with Golden State to acquire Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III. As a team that often finds itself in a rut offensively, Burks and Robinson bring value in the scoring department. Therefore, Brown is going to do all that he can to issue them a reasonable amount of minutes, which means somebody else's playing time is going to have to take a hit.

Might that be Matisse Thybulle? Brett Brown wouldn't deny it. In fact, he recently made it a point that wins will be much more important than development moving forward. "I feel like I'm out of the stage where I feel a huge responsibility to take bullets in exchange for development," the Sixers' head coach said.

"We're now at a stage in the final third where you have to play the people that are going to win games. [Matisse Thybulle] has certainly improved his discipline defensively and his catch-shot -- we've seen the growth of him. Now in February, with 27 games left [though], I see it as I just said it."

Since Brown made those comments last Thursday, Thybulle has shot 0-3 from the field in 27 minutes of playing time against Brooklyn and Milwaukee. And as the Sixers struggle to find their identity as a team, the rookie is slowly beginning to take a backseat as Philly prepares for another playoff run in the Eastern Conference.

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