Philadelphia 76ers: Can Matisse Thybulle become team’s best defender?

The Philadelphia 76ers may have found a gem in Matisse Thybulle, but just how high is his ceiling on the defensive end of the floor?

When I wrote about Matisse Thybulle‘s ceiling for this season, I indicated that it was possible that he could become the first wing off the bench. But now, it appears likely that that could be the case reported by Rich Hofmann of The Athletic. That’s an incredible development for Thybulle in his young career, but it’s certainly not the career limit for the Philadelphia 76ers rookie.

Right now, the Sixers are full of great defenders. Four out of the five starters have been considered elite defenders as recently as of last season. Point guard Ben Simmons is one of the most versatile defenders in the NBA and is able to guard all five positions, shooting guard Josh Richardson is an elite 2-way wing, power forward Al Horford is one of the best perimeter defending big men and center Joel Embiid is one of the best rim protectors.

Philly’s bench doesn’t lack defensive talent either. Kyle O’Quinn, James Ennis and Mike Scott all bring positives on the defensive end. Young players like Zhaire Smith, Jonah Bolden and Shake Milton also have potential on defense as well.

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Despite all the talented players that the 76ers have, Matisse Thybulle may end up developing into the team’s most impactful defender. He won’t be as versatile as Simmons or elite inside the paint as Embiid, but Thybulle has shown the potential to be an elite defender.

Thybulle’s peers also recognize his defensive abilities. Both of the Sixers stars gave Thybulle praise. Simmons hates when he’s defended by the rookie and Embiid compared Thybulle to former 76ers player Robert Covington, who is an elite defender.

In Thybulle’s senior season of college as a 6-foot-5 wing, he averaged 3.1 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 2.3 blocks. In the summer league, he impressed by averaging 3.8 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.2 blocks (stats per RealGM). Thybulle’s preseason has been good defensively as well. In the two games thus far, he’s averaged 3.0 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 1.5 blocks (stats per RealGM).

There’s no denying the sample size is small and Thybulle hasn’t faced any elite offensive players in the preseason yet, but those numbers don’t lie. Not only does he have active hands in the passing lanes, but he’s really good at blocking shots. If he were to average during the regular season what he is in the preseason, he’d be in the conversation for All-Defensive team honors at least.

Last season, Paul George led the NBA in steals with 2.2 per game and Andre Iguodala led shooting guards in blocks with 0.8 per game. There’s a chance that Thybulle can surpass those averages this season, but that depends how many minutes per game he is allotted. There’s a chance that Thybulle could become one of the best defenders in the NBA this season, but he has to prove that he can be consistent for a long stretch of games first.

Thybulle probably won’t develop into the Philadelphia 76ers best defender this season, but he could in a very short time span. Thybulle’s defense is proving to be elite just early on in the preseason and he will have to continue this well into the regular season. However, it’s hard not to get excited about his defensive potential.