Sixers: No Matisse Thybulle, no problem in Toronto

The Philadelphia 76ers now head to Toronto for Games 3 and 4 of their first-round playoff series against the Raptors. They will notably be without Matisse Thybulle as he cannot enter Canada due to his vaccination status. I am here to tell you, no Matisse, no problem for the Sixers.

Unless you have been under a rock the last three days, you have seen the 76ers absolutely dominate the Raptors in Games 1 and 2 down in South Philly. The margins of victory were 20 and 15 points respectively in each of the first two games and they could have both been larger.

This Sixers team that has shown up so far in this series is the team we all thought they could be when the Harden trade happened back in February. Joel Embiid is playing like the NBA MVP he has been all year and he is unstoppable. There is no other word for it; he is absolutely unstoppable. The person who knows this more than anyone else is Raptors head coach, Nick Nurse, who has been complaining about all the foul calls Embiid has been getting.

However, what is most important in the Sixers first two dominant wins is the substantial decrease in playing time for Matisse Thybulle. Throughout the regular season, Thybulle averaged 26 minutes per game and started 50 of the team’s games. Through the first two playoff games, he is averaging just under 15 minutes per game and coming off the bench.

The Sixers will be just fine without Matisse Thybulle on the road in Toronto

Now for all the criticism Doc Rivers gets, he made a smart decision by inserting Danny Green into the starting lineup before this playoff series, even for home games when Thybulle is available. Having a consistent starting lineup is essentially important for chemistry and honestly Green’s shooting ability creates more space in the lane for Harden and Embiid to operate.

Now the team heads to Toronto and Thybulle will not be available, but he has not really been a factor in the first two games anyway. In the short amount of playing time, he has been unimpressive even on the defensive side of the ball which is supposed to showcase his greatest skill set.

Philadelphia loves to be negative and I have already seen media conversations of how Toronto will expose the Sixers defensively and missing Thybulle could be a series changer in these next two games. That is ridiculous. Yes, a Sixers starter (for much of the regular season) will not be available, but if the last two games are any indication, and they should be, the Sixers do not need Thybulle to beat the Raptors.

That is not to say Thybulle will not be important later in the playoffs depending on future Sixers matchups, but for this first-round series, no Matisse, no problem. Expect this series to be over in four games!