Philadelphia 76ers: Matisse Thybulle is an offensive battle ax

In 2019-20, it took Matisse Thybulle 71 games (63 appearances) to reach his 14th start for the Philadelphia 76ers.

In 2021-22, the third-year defensive ace might just hit that mark by Game 36 (29 appearances) due to a potential combination of injuries, illnesses, and a certain player refusing to play.

Should Thybulle be a starter at this point in his career? Honestly, probably not, not with how the Sixers are presently constructed anyway, but over the past few games, really since Danny Green entered COVID protocol, things have started to look up for his long-term prospects to do just that.

Why? Because the Philadelphia 76ers are starting to embrace who Matisse Thybulle is, not who they want him to be.

The Philadelphia 76ers are starting to accept Thybulle’s short-term limitations.

On defense, Matisse Thybulle is one of the most instinctual finesse players you’ll see on a basketball court.

He shakes up his approach from drive to drive, plays the passing lanes better than most, and has an innate ability to make opposing guards think they’ve burst past him only to have their shot blocked moments later from behind.

In a league where offense is more important than ever before, Thybulle is a defensive buster who can help to neutralize an opposing team’s best scorer and give players like Steph Curry fits when they want to just break the all-time 3 point record in peace.

But on offense? On offense, Matisse Thybulle is a battle ax.

His game is blunt. Sure, he takes 3 pointers, and oftentimes they even hit the rim and/or the backboard, but for whatever reason, be it a lack of luck or a lack of touch, Thybulle’s bombs only go in at a 27.5 percent clip.

In case you didn’t know, that’s very bad.

Things have gotten so dire with Thybulle on the court as a floor spacer that opposing teams often sag his defender off entirely to provide an instant double team for Joel Embiid in the paint. Considering the team’s lack of an elite passer and the tendencies of both Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris to do most of their scoring inside the arc, that strategy was a very poor one.

Surely the Sixers were at an impasse. For roughly a two week period from November 29th through December 16th, Thybulle saw his minutes dip from 26.2 to 21.3, and outside of a fantastic showing against Steph Curry at “The Center,” Thybulle’s on-court usage was more as a spot-up defender than a true rotation player worthy of minutes regardless of the situation.

And then, like magic, Doc Rivers and company figured it out: Thybulle isn’t a 3-and-D wing; he’s a slasher.

Thybulle went from taking 52.1 percent of his shots from beyond the arc to 46.2 percent, and his overall field goal efficiency jumped as a result, from 46.4 percent to 50 percent despite making only three of his 12 attempts from deep. When taking shots within the painted area over that same five games period, Thybulle has made 11 of his 14 attempts, which has accounted for 22 of the 31 points (71 percent) he’s scored.

That, my friends, is how the Sixers need to use Thybulle on offense: As a blunt, slashing battle ax who drives to the basket and throws down tomahawk dunks. Allow him to occupy the dunker spot, have him crash into the paint when he’s unguarded, and maybe even run a few old Ben Simmons plays to get him easy looks from a passing Embiid around the basket.

Such an offensive approach has allowed Thybulle to nearly double his rebounding averages from 2.1 to 3.6 and has given the team an average of .5 more offensive possessions per game via his improved offensive rebounding.

Considering the Sixers rank dead last in both offensive rebounding and rebounding in general, any little bit helps.

Should Thybulle abandon perimeter shots entirely? No. If teams are going to give him wide-open looks, he should still attempt them in non-clutch situations, but when he’s uncovered and sees an opportunity to pass up a 27.5 percent shot for one he’s making at around 85 percent, it would be wise for the 24-year-old to do just that, especially with his contract extension window looming just over the horizon.

Eventually, it would behoove Matisse Thybulle to become an average NBA 3 point shooter. With even an average offensive game to pair up with his exemplary defensive efforts, he could easily become one of the most valued role players in the NBA both in terms of demand and thus, financial compensation. But for now, Thybulle is a 3-and-D wing. No, for the time being, Thybulle is a Dunk-and-D wing and should be used as such by the Philadelphia 76ers.