Ranking every player on the Sixers roster — 6. Matisse Thybulle
Matisse Thybulle should crack an NBA All-Defensive team despite averaging only 20 minutes per game. He led the Sixers in total steals and blocks this season, and cemented his status as one of the league’s most disruptive defenders. The second-year wing may already be the best pound-for-pound perimeter defender on the planet.
With uncanny recovery skills and the springboard athleticism of a gazelle, Thybulle is as likely to block a jump shot and he is to hit one. He has the luxury of gambling without actually risking position. Half the time, he can overextend for a steal, and then get back in the play to stifle a shot or intercept a pass. He averaged 3.9 steals and 2.6 blocks per 36 minutes this season — it’s comical.
The growth from year one to year two has been notable for Thybulle, who is no longer a foul magnet. He still gambles, but unlike last season, he’s a rock-solid team defender who understands just how far he can go without compromising the team setup (it’s pretty far).
Unfortunately, there are two sides of the floor in basketball. There’s a reason Thybulle can justifiably be called the most impactful perimeter defender in basketball, then land sixth on this list. He’s a bad shooter who, despite marginal all-around improvements, is still someone defenses can comfortably ignore. He and Simmons are enough to defuse the NBA’s most potent scorers, but the Sixers can’t start them together because the offense suffers.
— Christopher Kline