NBA
#20 – Matisse Thybulle – Philadelphia 76ers
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
With the 20th overall pick in the NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers have selected Matisse Thybulle, a versatile athlete from the University of Washington.
Just moments before the Boston Celtics were set to take the stage for their second pick of the first round, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news.
Deal is agreed on — and Sixers will send Boston Nos. 24 and 33 in this draft, league sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/XM7bHrkNH7
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 21, 2019
In today’s NBA landscape, Thybulle represents the ideal 3-and-D prospect. And for Philadelphia, a franchise stacked to the brim with scoring and shooting prowesses already, Thybulle makes perfect sense. Last year, the 76ers lost Robert Covington, the team’s best perimeter defender, in the move that brought Jimmy Butler to town — Thybulle absolutely represents a potential answer in the rotation.
At either shooting guard or small forward, the stretchy Thybulle could cause havoc alongside Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. The former standout won’t be asked to score often, which will allow him to develop in a playoff-bound rotation by merely focusing on his NBA-ready strengths.
The 76ers, who were rumored to have promised Thybulle at No. 24, decided that a move up the draft board was necessary — a trade that speaks volumes about Philadelphia’s love for the 22-year-old. In 2018-19, the 76ers boasted an elite defensive unit and adding Thybulle makes them even scarier somehow.
