Philadelphia 76ers: Matisse Thybulle provides window into bubble life

The Philadelphia 76ers’ rook doubles as a solid documentarian.

Philadelphia 76ers rookie Matisse Thybulle has shown a propensity for the camera since the day he arrived. The 22-year-old is a natural in the fields of photography and film, and there’s no better example than his nine-minute YouTube exposé on the NBA’s Orlando bubble.

Thybulle both filmed and edited the video — an impressive accomplishment in my book. It flows smoothly from one stop to the next, starting at his drive to the airport and finishing at the end of his first night inside the Grand Floridian Hotel.

It’s probably the most informative glance at the inner workings of the NBA’s bubble so far.

There’s a lot worth discussing in this video. First and foremost, Thybulle still has rookie duties — the pre-flight Chick-fil-A run — despite a global health pandemic. Ruthless leadership from the locker room vets.

Once on the plane, it was Tobias Harris who serenaded teammates with a song (from his phone) and a loud “welcome back.” Harris has emerged as a leader during this quarantine period, and Thybulle’s video only increases the evidence of his leadership skills.

Later in the video, when seated in his room, Thybulle calls Harris on the phone. Harris mentions the Raptors’ BLACK LIVES MATTER busses, and says the Sixers can’t be “quiet” on social issues. He encourages Thybulle to brainstorm ideas for how Philadelphia can make its voices heard.

As for the nuts and bolts of bubble life, Thybulle offers a pretty expansive view of how things operate inside the Grand Floridian. The first thing players did was listen to a lecture on the NBA’s safety measures and take a coronavirus test. After the test, Thybulle received a green armband to indicate a completed test, then obtained his room key and made for his room.

The room is solid. Apologies to Rajon Rondo, but it’s essentially a luxury suite. Thybulle even has “MT22” stitched on his pillow — a nice personal touch. There’s nothing over-the-top special, but nice amenities, a bag of sweets provided by the league, and plenty of space should suffice.

When Thybulle was delivered his dinner — a modest batch of grilled chicken and noodles — it came without silverware. He called a friendly service line, and silverware was promptly delivered to his door. So we know the helplines work.

This was only day one — I’m sure Thybulle will release more footage once the bubble gets going and he’s allowed more time outside his room. We have already seen Instagram shots of the poolside amenities from Dwight Howard, as well as some friendly corn hole between Thunder players.

Barring a surge of infections — in which case the league should immediately shut down — I think the players will be just fine.