Sadly, the Philadelphia 76ers went 2-2 this past week, however, there were some positives to take away from those four games. Joel Embiid’s play would be an obvious option for the player of the week prize, but it’s actually a defensive-oriented player who has earned this week’s award.
Player of the Week: Matisse Thybulle
The Sixers’ first loss against the Portland Trail Blazers was easily Matisse Thybulle‘s worst defensive performance. He had three points, two rebounds, one block, and one foul, while going 1-3 from the field and 3-point line. Without Ben Simmons in the game, Thybulle and Embiid had a difficult time anchoring the club’s defense.
In the victory against the short-handed Brooklyn Nets, Thybulle had his best statistical defensive game of the week. He finished with two points, three rebounds, two assists, three steals, two blocks, and three fouls, while making 1-2 from the field and none of his two free throw attempts.
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Thybulle was a huge reason the Sixers defeated the Sacramento Kings. He ended the game with two rebounds, one assist, one block, and two fouls. His impact came with guarding De’Aaron Fox, which was the turning point of the game. His defense was so good that it led me to write about what it would take for him to be a starter moving forward.
Despite the 76ers losing to the Blazers a second time within a week, Thybulle had a solid defensive game. He finished with four points, a rebound, an assist, two steals, a turnover, and two fouls. He shot 1-3 from both the floor and 3-point line, while also going 1-2 on foul shots.
Honorable Mention
Shake Milton didn’t score a lot but he was efficient scoring from the field this past week which hadn’t been the case for the last couple of weeks. In the three games, he played he averaged 12.7 points on 45.5 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from downtown.
Thybulle didn’t have eye-popping stats, but his defense was phenomenal for the Philadelphia 76ers and that’s why he is this player of the week award. He averaged 2.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.0 block, 0.3 turnovers, and 2.0 fouls.