Philadelphia 76ers: Matisse Thybulle got the last laugh on Boston

After being traded on draft night by the Boston Celtics, Matisse Thybulle got the last laugh in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 107-93 win opening night victory.

Whether Matisse Thybulle‘s NBA career proves to be a flash in the pan or ends with his jersey hanging in the rafters of the Wells Fargo Center, he will forever be known as a Boston Celtics‘ draftee.

Granted, Thybulle was only a member of the Celtics for about 15 minutes, as the team purposefully drafted the Washington senior 20th overall to snag an extra pick out of Elton Brand and the Philadelphia 76ers, but still, pictures will forever showcase the eager 22-year-old shaking Adam Silver’s hand wearing a green cap with a winking leprechaun its center.

But don’t worry Matisse, we won’t hold that against you; especially after your thorough dominance of Kemba Walker on opening night.

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That’s right, in a division tight, weeknight, knockdown, drag-out, winner-take-all, Philly street fight, the Sixers looked their division rivals straight in the eye, and delivered a finishing blow due in large part to their absolute dominance of the Celtics’ backcourt – a backcourt that has terrorized the hallowed court of the Wells Fargo Center for years.

Now sure, did the $115 million man (Jaylen Brown) picking up five fouls before halftime help play into the final outcome just a tiny bit? Alright, I’ll concede to that, but I don’t care if Brown finished out the evening with zero fouls, the biggest single factor in the Sixers win was the team’s ability to hold Kemba Walker – the same Kemba Walker who put up 60 last season – to 12 points. On 18 shots. In 34 minutes of action.

That is just insane.

I mean seriously, it would have been hard to imagine last year’s Sixers holding the Hornets’ new backcourt (Terry Rozier and Malik Monk) to less than 60, and yet somehow, this new iteration held Walker and Brown to 20 points on 24 shots.

I thought Brad Stevens was supposed to be a genius?

While Thybulle alone can’t get all of the credit for Philly’s masterful backcourt defense, as his starting lineup equivalent Josh Richardson turned in a similarly impressive showing, it’s incredibly telling to see Brett Brown trust his rookie to cover Walker one-on-one for more-or-less the entire time the duo were on the court together – in man coverage no less.

And best of all, we get to watch 81 more games of this – not to mention a long playoff berth that hopefully extends out into June.

Finishing out the game with three points, two blocks, two steals, and a defensive rebound, Thybulle gave fans a glimpse of what’s to come, while proving that he was definitely worth trading up for – even if it cost the draft rights of Ty Jerome and Carsen Edwards to get a deal done.

Speaking of Edwards, he played all of 11 minutes and scored three points, hardly a night to write home about.

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But not Matisse Thybulle. No. What this kid did in his first NBA game was special. Despite being overlooked and cruelly used as a trade chip to acquire additional assets on draft night, the 22-year-old rookie kept his head down, put in work for the Philadelphia 76ers, and left the Wells Fargo Center a winner – besting the team that didn’t want him in the first place.