Sixers’ five most promising players under 25 — 2. Matisse Thybulle
Thybulle has one of the strangest playstyles of any player currently in the NBA. Taken with the 20th overall selection from Washington two seasons ago, he is an absolute defensive savant who qualified for the NBA All-Defensive second team in just his sophomore season.
Matisse is unparalleled in his defensive ball-hawkery; not even teammate Ben Simmons, probably the best all-around defender in the league today, comes close to replicating the impact Thybulle brings in the form of steals and blocks.
He led all NBA players in steal percentage (only former Sixer T.J. McConnell even came close to touching him in that metric) and nearly doubled the block percentage of every other guard in the NBA. While on the floor, Thybulle blocks a greater percentage of shots than Bam Adebayo, Giannis Antetokounmpko, or even his teammate Joel Embiid.
Thybulle is poised for an outstanding third season. If his offensive game can continue to improve — specifically, if he can make the leap from poor to above-average three-point shooter so defenses are forced to respect him on the perimeter — Matisse is first in line to receive a minutes increase after the inevitable Ben Simmons trade. Oh, and he just spent the offseason working on his game with the Australian national team, which usually helps a player’s development.
the kid is shining for the world!
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) July 11, 2021
we got some @MatisseThybulle highlights to start your day 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/uHpxot869g
No player on this list is as good at any one skill than Matisse Thybulle is at defense. When he’s at least passable on the other end of the court, Thybulle is an X-factor capable of taking the game over defensively. He’s more valuable as a young asset than every other Sixer under 25. Except one.