Overlooking his first NBA Draft as an NBA general manager this past
summer, Sixers GM Elton Brand wasn’t too keen on allowing the board to
dictate what his team would come away with. Instead, the Sixers lead man
pulled off a trade with the division rival Boston Celtics to move up four spots
from 24 to 20 to select G/F Matisse Thybulle out of Washington.
The swap cost the Sixers quite a bit, as they had to depart with the
33rd overall pick in the process, but landed them what they believe was one
of the premier defensive talents in the class and a core piece of their team
nucleus.
“Matisse was the best defensive wing in the draft and his tenacious and
gritty play fit our culture perfectly,” Sixers general manager Elton Brand said
in a statement released by the team. “A talented shooter and a great person
off the court, we’re very excited to welcome Matisse to the 76ers family.”
Brand’s high praise of Thybulle’s defensive efforts isn’t unfounded,
either, as the 22-year-old was donned the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the
Year twice (2018, 2019) in four years at the University of Washington. The
Arizona native was also bestowed the 2018-19 Lefty Driesell award winner-
an award founded in 2010 to honor the top defensive collegiate athlete in
the country.
Standing at 6’6 with a 7-foot wingspan, Thybulle is an absolute
menace on the defensive end and possesses the ability to defend and win
against the one, two, or three. His unique blend of athleticism, anticipation,
and defensive awareness makes him incredibly tough to score against and
lead to him becoming one of only two players since 1992 to average at least
three steals and two blocks in a season(!). Additionally, Thybulle used his
defensive instincts and ability to rack up 331 steals across four seasons with
the Washington Huskies, leading the entire NCAA in swipes with 126 in
2019.
Through his first five NBA games with Philly, Thybulle is up to his usual
habits. The rookie sensation is currently leading the NBA in total steals (14)
and is second behind only Jimmy Butler in steals per game (2.8). Despite
being a first-year player, Thybulle seems extremely comfortable and fluid
defensively- proving to be a tough assignment for even the most elite NBA
stars.
We’ve already seen Thybulle get the better of high-volume scorers
Jayson Tatum, Trae Young, and Damian Lillard so far this season and it begs
the question of just how high his ceiling truly is. Under the tutelage of his
head coach Brett Brown, who oversaw the rise of 2x DPOY and superstar
Kawhi Leonard in San Antonio, Thybulle could experience a similar ascension
in the pros.
While I’m certainly not claiming that Thybulle is a surefire bet to
emulate the success Leonard has experienced at the NBA level, it’s
important to note their similarities coming out of college and at least keep
our minds open to the fact that the Sixers rookie could beat a path to
stardom akin to the reigning Finals MVP.
To paint a clearer picture, let’s first take a look back at what scouts
had to say about Kawhi Leonard’s weaknesses coming out of college:
"Connecting on just 32% of his catch and shoot jumpers and 28% of
his pull-ups last season, the sophomore struggled with his consistency from
range. As with all players noted for their hand size, there are questions
about Leonard's ability to develop a reliable jump shot. While there is some
merit to that stereotype, it will be necessary for Leonard to continue honing
that part of his game to the greatest extent possible." - Matt Kaminsky,
DraftExpress
“The most immediate area for improvement is the sophomore's
shooting, which is only average in general at this point, but is quite rough
around the edges when extending beyond the area immediately around the
rim. Leonard has a long, slow release meaning in general he needs quite a
bit of space to get his shot off. This reflects in his generally sub-par marks in
catch and shoot scenarios (32%) and when shooting off the dribble (28%).
Still, he has shown enough flashes of potential here that with enough time
and effort, it is easy to see how these could become consistent facets of his
game - especially when considering the significant improvements he has
already made from just his first college season.” Joey Whelan, SB Nation
“The one thing doesn’t do is shoot it. He’s not a guy that
can make shots from the perimeter, but he does put the ball on the floor and
he’s working on his handle to play the three position.” Jay Bilas, ESPN
Sound familiar? Though just about every scout in the country raved
about Leonard’s defensive prowess and potential coming out of San Diego
State, they also pointed to his shooting stroke as a major deficiency.
Similarly to Matisse Thybulle eight years later, shooting woes weren’t
enough to cause Leonard to fall out of the first round and he was ultimately
paired with Brett Brown.
Working closely with Brown and Spurs shooting coach Chip Engelland,
Leonard was able to refine his jumper and quickly shed the label of being a
poor shooter. As Engelland noted in a story a few years back, Leonard didn’t
have to completely reinvent his shot. Instead, a few minor tweaks would do
the trick and soon saw him become one of the deadliest marksmen in the
NBA.
Although Engelland didn’t follow Brett Brown on his journey from San
Antonio to Philly, Brown is still well-versed with his teachings and is working
with a far more polished shooting prospect in Thybulle than Leonard was in
his rookie campaign.
Kawhi made a total of 41 3-pointers in his two seasons at San Diego State, doing so at a 25.0 percent clip. Conversely, despite a down year from beyond the arc in his senior year, Thybulle drained 191 triples on 35.8% shooting across 135 collegiate games. Though not quite in the company of Steph Curry or Devin Booker as a shooter coming out of college, Thybulle was much more effective than Leonard, thus conceivably making his developmental process in that area shorter.
Already exuding the defensive prowess and tenacity that made him such a hot commodity in the draft amongst the Sixers brass, Thybulle could become one of the biggest draft bargains in franchise history should his offensive ability begin to parallel his defense.
It’ll likely take countless hours in the gym and a few sleepless nights amongst the coaching staff but don’t be surprised to see Thybulle develop into more than just a defensive specialist under Brett Brown in Philly. Additionally, with no shortage of talented scorers to learn from surrounding him, Thybulle is in a perfect situation to see his max potential come to fruition.
Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
