Philadelphia 76ers: 3 rotational battles to watch in bubble

3. Furkan Korkmaz vs. Matisse Thybulle

In Tuesday’s press conference, Brown expressed a hesitancy to rely on younger players in the postseason. While Brown has given Matisse Thybulle and Furkan Korkmaz long leashes all season, both could see a dramatic decrease in minutes as the games start to count.

I don’t expect the Sixers to use a 10-man rotation in the playoffs. If you consider Glenn Robinson III, Alec Burks, and Shake Milton/Al Horford as locks in the second unit — which I do — Thybulle and Korkmaz quickly run out of space. If Brown decides to use a ninth player, my expectation is Thybulle will earn the role.

This is a difficult one to peg down. Thybulle is less experienced than Korkmaz, even if the latter never really played until this season. Thybulle is also a virtual zero on offense — someone the defense pays little attention to. That’s an even bigger issue in the playoffs, when possessions slow down and defenses are as coordinated as ever.

Even so, Thybulle brings a vibrant presence to the defensive end that few players can rival. He’s a turnover machine — in a good way — which leads to transition opportunities for Ben Simmons and the Sixers’ up-tempo offense. He creates havoc and can swing the momentum of a game with a handful of deflections.

Korkmaz is the opposite of Thybulle. He commands attention as a shooter, but he’s simultaneously the worst defender on the roster. Opposing offenses will hunt switches and target Korkmaz at every turn. Whereas Thybulle can clog up the offense, Korkmaz can single-handedly unravel the Sixers’ defensive scheme.

Brown has shown an affinity for defense in the past, and while the Sixers need shooting, Korkmaz is too streaky to negate his shortcomings. With Thybulle, at least the Sixers have someone who can help suffocate the opposition’s high-level scorers.