Philadelphia doubled down on first-round wings in this past draft by selecting Washington’s Matisse Thybulle, one year after trading for Zhaire Smith.

The Sixers’ duo started together in all five Summer League games, earning important playing time both sharing the floor and with potential other Sixers. While Philadelphia didn’t find much success, finishing 1-4, Sixers fans should feel optimistic from how their two young wings fared playing July basketball.

Thybulle, albeit two years older than Smith, indulged in his first taste of the professional level and mirrored a pinball bouncing every way on defense. Thybulle won college basketball’s premier defensive accolade last season when he took home the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year trophy. Playing within Washington zone’s scheme, Thybulle served as the main weapon who amassed 126 steals and 82 blocks.

How he’d fare in a more man style defensive system was a storyline heading into Summer League, and Thybulle’s athleticism coupled with promising technique generally carried him in 1-on-1 situations.

On-ball Defense

Summer League’s five-game sample and level of competition isn’t a perfect representation of Thybulle’s competency defending guards. However, plenty of Thybulle’s traits pop when focusing on success rate and ability.

Thybulle’s recovery after he’s not steady in his stance or botches a steal attempt is remarkable. Attending the Combine to see an updated height and weight check would’ve been convenient here, but Thybulle stands at 6’5″ and likely anywhere between 195-202 pounds with a 7-foot wingspan.

Thybulle’s Summer League tape defending the ball displays different factors. He guarded positions 1-to-3 with relative success, but his tendencies need to be accounted for in a broader context. Thybulle, sometimes, jumps at whom he’s guarding to maybe faze them or create some sort of chaos.

Thybulle lunges at Jordan Bone, a name familiar to Sixers fans as a 2019 selection whose rights were sold for cash, to force dribble penetration and already places himself in a disadvantage. Bone puts Thybulle “in jail” by dribbling with a low center of gravity and Thybulle on his back, draws contact on his way up and converts the and-1.

Again, these instances are few and far between. However, the jump in acceleration, first step explosion and awareness among NBA players will force Thybulle to restrain from jumping at ball handlers.

Milwaukee’s Elijah Bryant isn’t going to win the athletic matchup with Thybulle, but he still creates an advantage by drawing in center Norvel Pelle. If Thybulle sits in his stance at the top of the key and forces Bryant to win off the dribble, his chances at a quality defensive possession increase. Pelle bails Thybulle out by affecting the shot, but Thybulle’s over-aggressiveness in isolation generates a favorable situation for the Bucks.

Maybe the Sixers’ staff reviews these instances with Thybulle and we see a more patient approach from the Sixers rookie in the preseason. Thybulle can curtail his over-enthusiasm, which would elevate his ability to contain dribble penetration.

Thybulle, overall, fared well defending opposing point guards and combo guards. Rookie guard Carsen Edwards scorched Summer League to the tune of 46.7 percent shooting from deep and dialed up 20 points against Philadelphia. Thybulle had two standout moments when covering one of July’s most imposing offensive threats.

The Celtics run a dribble handoff to provide Edwards with momentum heading to the basket with rim runner Robert Williams flanking him. Thybulle can’t run under Williams and cede an open jumper from Edwards. He gets handsy with Edwards, nearly loses containment but plants his left foot to regain momentum. As Edwards rises for a push shot, Thybulle extends his hand to graze the ball and deny the attempt.

Thybulle rarely covered Edwards, but the Sixers’ wing stood his ground when containing Boston’s guard in the half-court on a particular play. When a matchup pitting two NBA players against each other in Summer League presents itself, the outcome becomes notable. Edwards is an NBA guard with functional agility and Thybulle mirrors him to force a reset.

Key in on Thybulle at the three-second mark below. He’s balanced and sitting in his stance, capable of flipping his hips to either side and sliding horizontally if needed. Thybulle notices that Edwards is dribbling with his right hand and positions himself accordingly while using his back leg as a spring to slide. Coinciding with his lateral movement, Thybulle uses his right arm to affect Edwards’ path and comfortability when driving.

Thybulle also spent time guarding the Celtics’ second-round pick and former LSU guard, Tremont Waters. Waters isn’t the explosive jet Edwards is with the ball and doesn’t pose the same threat level. On the other side of the coin, Thybulle finding success defending small guards is a positive development when he might find himself defending the Jalen Brunson and T.J. McConnell’s of the NBA at times.

Thybulle forced Waters to defer on multiple occasions and solidly recovered on him in a pick-and-roll set for a block. Thybulle finished Summer League with six blocks in five games, credit to his recovery, length, balance and timing.

Sporting a 7-foot wingspan bolsters Thybulle’s defensive ceiling and gives the 22-year-old swingman more margin for error. He blocked Terence Davis’s three, Luguentz Dortz’s layup near the basket and closed out to faze Svi Mykhailiuk’s three-point attempt over his last three games.

In what many would call the gold standard of draft websites, The Stepien mentions functional athleticism in articles. Thybulle makes superb use of his 7-foot wingspan. He can affect and reject shots plus has some extra length over most two-guards for intercepting passes.

Thybulle has solid technique, agility to hang with smaller non-first dribble explosive guards and length to disrupt in a myriad of ways. Bigger and more athletic wings will present problems for Thybulle, who isn’t physically imposing. However, Thybulle will be able to limit numerous archetypes on-ball given his technique, blend of physical traits and IQ on that end.

Off-ball Defense

Thybulle’s specialty is creating off-ball havoc. Here’s a cross-sport analogy: he’s like an NFL edge rusher who’s capable of not only getting to quarterbacks in a hurry but also blowing up plays by either making line of scrimmage tackles or diagnosing plays.

Thybulle leverages his speed to recover, deflect passes, produce both steals and blocks, and closeout on shooters. Thybulle generated a pretty rare feat in college by eclipsing his rebounding totals with 126 steals.

He’s a ball hawk waiting to pounce in passing lanes and take it coast to coast. Sometimes, he’ll read passers and sprint for a potential steal but most of Thybulle’s steals and deflections were a product of his awareness and quick reactions. Thybulle averaged 2.0 steals in Summer League and looks the part of an off-ball menace in head coach Brett Brown’s rotation.

On the clip below, Thybulle’s initial assignment was reigning Slam Dunk Contest champion Hamidou Diallo but Oklahoma City’s ball-handler throws a dangerous skip pass to an open teammate. Thybulle reads the ball handler’s eyes and position en route to a steal and dunk.

Thybulle likely processes the game at a high level while his awareness and reaction on defense are game-changing elements, akin to what former Sixer Robert Covington provided. Just his presence alone can invoke a modicum of fear in opponents who have designs on hitting teammates for skip passes. It’s not to the extent of a fast break against a LeBron James-led team type of indecisiveness, but Thybulle has a rare passing lane intercepter ability.

Thybulle can play an aggressive style of off-ball defense, in which he’s focused on denying his man the ball in half-court situations, in addition to deciphering where the ball handler is passing next.

Check out how much effort Thybulle puts into denying Mykhailiuk the ball. Mykhailiuk’s initial pindown screen gets rejected then he seeks a dribble handoff from Matt Costello. Thybulle plants his right foot in response and uses his right hand to separate Mykhailiuk from his path to Costello. When Mykhailiuk pivots, Thybulle follows suit. Exemplary off-ball denial.

Thybulle’s ever-present brand of off-ball defense also helps him generate deflections and disruption. Thanks to NBA.com/Stats Hustle category, deflections are a counted stat. Dependent on his minutes per game, I’d expect Thybulle to rank high in that department as a rookie.

Summer League highlighted Thybulle’s penchant to get his hands on the ball in an off-ball setting.

The second play in the compilation stood out: Thybulle isn’t mirroring Edwards. In fact, he’s late to react and turns into a cross-screen from Guerschon Yabusele. Instead of following Edwards’ trail, he “shoots the gap” by cutting through screens and arriving when the ball crosses the court.

His recovery and ability to even get a fingertip on the ball was an astounding sight. Thybulle could be deployed in a role where he’s containing the Stephen Curry’s and J.J. Redick’s of the NBA who revel in coming off of screens. Thybulle will take pressure off of Philadelphia’s offensive stars by operating with a never-stop attitude that’ll be endeared by Sixers fans.

Between Thybulle, Smith and two-way wing Josh Richardson, Philadelphia isn’t devoid of defensive wings who can complement Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid on the defensive end. Also, Thybulle’s defensive activity won’t be questioned as a Sixer. He’ll make cutters and passing outlets work for possessions. Thybulle will also play a part in the Sixers’ team defense in closing out on shooters.

Thybulle’s technique when closing out is reminiscent of a cheetah going Mach Speed at prey. He covers an incredible amount of ground to affect shooters, as even dashing towards them can be effective. Thybulle initially fills the lane then breaks for Milwaukee’s shooter.

He glides to contest and can get good extension for affecting shots. Within his first Summer League minute, Thybulle reacts to Bonzie Colson’s kick-out then blocks the Bucks player’s corner three. His reaction and length really pop here.

Thybulle’s hyper-aggressive defensive nature works more to a degree with Embiid and Al Horford as a second line of defense than league average centers. However, Thybulle will be susceptible to back door cuts and designs that’ll turn his aggressiveness into a liability.

In the clip below, Williams is controlling from the nail area and looking to defer to Waters. Waters plants his left foot and catches Thybulle off guard, as Waters back doors him for a scoring opportunity.

Terence Davis exploited Thybulle tightly guarding him off-ball by cutting to the basket and leaving Thybulle in his rearview. Sixers big man Zach Hankins had to drop and prevent an opportune pass. Thybulle will gamble and present advantages for opponents if he fails to steal the ball or blow up a play.

Thybulle can be an elite off-ball presence who sells out for steals and denies his man access to the ball while committing errors. However, because game plans are taken into account, the most viable option is reducing Thybulle’s aggression to a degree where he remains aggressive but doesn’t harm half-court defenses by creating opponent advantages.

In such a small sample, Thybulle generated a large amount of off-ball plays. Sixers fans watching the team’s rookie can feel confident that all of his intangibles and skills here will translate.

On-ball Offense

Thybulle’s role in Philadelphia’s offense rookie year will come as a catch-and-shoot and ball mover wing. Thybulle really shined in both facilitating and catch-and-shoot shooting, as Summer League spotlighted each. Thybulle’s vision, passing precision and timing were all impressive traits while the 22-year-old wing averaged 11.6 points.

He located teammates and hit them for scoring opportunities in both the half-court and transition. While Thybulle won’t see as many touches in both settings, displaying his ability in Summer League provides Brett Brown another wing who can create looks for others. Thybulle won’t be a secondary facilitator type, but he featured enough to be optimistic.

The clip below might be Thybulle’s most standout assist in the half-court. Thybulle simply threads the needle on this sick pocket pass to a rolling Hankins. Thybulle’s perfect timing and leading him with the pass is ideal.

Despite averaging a mere two assists per game, he’d kick out and swing the ball to set up his teammates for jumpers. If Thybulle can attack closeouts off the dribble then find someone along the perimeter for a kick-out, he’ll have more offensive utility. Even forcing a rotation, he can dump it off to a big man in the dunker’s spot.

Thybulle running transition with Smith and Simmons presents the rookie with an opportunity to tap into his decision making in up-tempo. Thybulle’s smarts and vision really stood out as a distributor in transition during Summer League.

If Thybulle can grab-and-go with Philadelphia’s athletes, it’ll create less half-court possessions and more opportunity to run. Thybulle had his warts with the ball, however. He committed numerous live-ball turnovers stemming from his loose handle. It got away from him in one instance, and he’d lose control at times.

Thybulle also struggled to try to create for himself. He threw down a dunk off a fake DHO against Detroit and blew past Yabusele for a baseline reverse layup but his highlights were sparse. Along with his turnovers, Thybulle didn’t consistently finish at the rim or hit his intermediate shots.

Thybulle will face obstacles both beating his man off the dribble and finishing against athleticism.

Thybulle also might be more suitable for a catch-and-shoot primary role in his rookie season because he was inconsistent shooting off of movement/pull-ups. However, Philadelphia can run catch-and-shoot sets for Thybulle and I’d be comfortable with him taking rhythm pull-up jumpers. Thybulle coming off of a floppy curl or catching the ball where he has to turn his body into a jumper isn’t optimal. Conversely, to shooting off some form of movement, Thybulle excelled on catch-and-shoot threes.

Although Thybulle rated in the 46th percentile with a modest 0.88 PPP in the spot up play type last NCAA season, per Synergy Sports, Thybulle served as a C&S gunner. Thybulle shot 39.3 percent from three in Summer League, which should foster optimism with his future efficiency.

This clip below provides a potential prelude to Thybulle with his role in Philadelphia’s offense this season. Four defenders collapse on Shake Milton and Norvel Pelle’s pick-and-roll. Milton picks up an open Thybulle in the corner and Thybulle calmly drills the open three.

Maybe this could represent defenders approaching Embiid when he has possession on the elbow and makes a move. Embiid picking up teammates from the post and off the dribble is an essential facet for his development and Thybulle would be an obvious beneficiary.

Maybe we see dynamic designs for Thybulle in catch-and-shoot situations. Off of a sideline out-of-bounds play, Thybulle runs a cross cut to the weakside and receives a stagger screen. After receiving Marial Shayok’s swing pass, Thybulle sets his feet and drains the three. For more of a sample, I’ll also include a bevy of Thybulle’s Summer League threes.

Compared to Smith, Thybulle looks more like a natural shooter coming out of college. Smith’s offensive game revolves around versatility whereas Thybulle’s three-point percentage is going to dictate his minutes. Thybulle has some tools that aid him as a catch-and-shoot wing.

He quickly sets his feet, has a high release point and can catch swing passes with his hands extended then adjust to his natural motion.

Off-ball Offense

Thybulle’s ability to lift along the perimeter and maneuver to open areas for potential threes is pertinent for his development. Can he make himself more accessible to bigs when they draw doubles? Will he pick up on teammates in his vicinity and adjust accordingly for additional space? Does he cut baseline or remain in the corner for a swing?

In the following clip, Thybulle scales the arc so he can provide a closer outlet for P.J. Dozier to swing to.

Liberty Ballers writer Tom West has excellently documented Thybulle’s Summer League run. With Boston’s defensive absent from the perimeter, Smith can shoot from distance without a contest. Check out Thybulle on the weakside. As Shake Milton probes in the paint, Thybulle lifts to provide a closer outlet for Philadelphia’s ball handler. He also has his hands extended, which will help ease him into a catch-and-shoot attempt.

Zhaire Smith's willingness to shoot is encouraging. He averaged 5.2 3-point attempts per 36 mins in the games he played last season, and shot 2-of-5 yesterday. Relocated into space here and didn't hesitate to shoot pic.twitter.com/XiMNrbH1Tc — Tom West (@TomWestNBA) July 7, 2019

With Simmons and Philadelphia’s glut of talented scorers shouldering the offensive load, Thybulle’s off-ball presence as the tertiary or quinary scoring option will stand out maybe as much as what he’ll provide on-ball.

Smith’s cutting and elevation elevate Philadelphia’s offense and they’ll receive a jolt from the Texas Tech product. Thybulle’s awareness and movement will also play a role.

Key Takeaways

The Sixers coveted Thybulle, trading up for him at pick No. 20 and surrendering their 33rd overall pick, and he’s a textbook fit.

Thybulle’s function in Philadelphia’s defense will be as a threat for steals and an athletic wing who can disrupt shooters coming off of screens. Thybulle provides instant defensive value when he steps on the court, but his offense will be the decisive variable here.

Given his projected offensive role as a catch-and-shoot tertiary creator in his rookie season, Thybulle isn’t going to be inserted into a high-leverage spot. He can take comfortable looks and build rhythm through shots in his wheelhouse. Thus, he’ll be able to stick on the floor and complement Philadelphia’s on-ball defenders during his rookie year and beyond.

If his jumper starts trending upwards, similar to Jonah Bolden’s progression last season, Thybulle will assuredly play an essential role in Philadelphia’s postseason. James Ennis had a valiant and impressive playoff run, but he’s more of an energy type wing whose defense is rough and shot wavers at times.

If Thybulle doesn’t shoot himself out of a postseason rotation spot, Thybulle’s ability to impact games on the defensive end can present challenges for offenses at times. It seems likely the Sixers can stick Thybulle on gravity shooters who revel in gliding off screens. Primarily, he’ll see small forward minutes and defend multiple positions, starting from point guard to small forward.

Having a 7-foot wingspan certainly makes him capable against less-athletic stretch bigs, if he happens to switch. Initially, Thybulle will find difficulty against the league’s good-to-elite shot creators, but you’re hoping he’ll eventually modify his approach and become better conditioned. Thybulle can probably switch onto under-the-rim guards and less athletic floor spacers if he stepped on the court right now.

Thybulle is capable of patching up Philadelphia’s defensive issues, to a degree. If he can expand the limits on whom he can guard and modifies his technique to scale back his aggressiveness a pinch, Philadelphia could have another young defensive ace on their hands.