3 goals for Sixers wing Matisse Thybulle: Join starting five
Thybulle will almost definitely start the season off the bench. Especially if Ben Simmons sticks around. In that case, Philadelphia will keep the same starting five as last season. That’s the right call. For all the hate circling around Ben Simmons, that was one of the league’s most dominant five-man groups.
If Simmons does stay, then Thybulle will still have his sights set on Danny Green. The only way for Thybulle to comfortably eclipse Green value-wise is consistent 3-point shooting. So, we’re tying it back to the first goal. If Thybulle can hit 35 or 36 percent of his 3s, then he’s at least playable on offense. At this stage in his career, Green can’t hope to approximate Thybulle’s value on defense.
Green was the Sixers’ highest-volume shooter last season. That is an important role and attribute, even if he’s not as “good” as Thybulle in a vacuum (most would argue he’s still better). Thybulle would need to improve both percentage-wise and volume-wise to strengthen his case against Green.
The clearest path to a starting role for Thybulle is a Simmons trade. If Philly swaps Simmons for Damian Lillard, for example, then it’s easier to cover Thybulle’s limitations as a shooter. He would still need to improve, but not nearly to the degree necessary to overtake Green next to Simmons. Also, Thybulle is the quickest solution for the defensive issues posed by Simmons’ hypothetical departure. The Sixers don’t have many good on-ball perimeter defenders right now. Thybulle is arguably the best in basketball.