Sixers impressed by Matisse Thybulle’s defense against LeBron James
There is no way a guy simply stops LeBron James. The star of the Los Angeles Lakers can’t truly be stopped as he can really just go through just about anybody standing in his way. That’s why he has had such a long and successful career in the league.
He had 34 points on 12-for-22 points, six rebounds, and six assists in a 107-106 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday, but one guy who bothered him was second-year guard Matisse Thybulle.
Thybulle was successful against James as a rookie in the 2019-20 season as he used his length and his energy to really bother him in the one Sixers win over Los Angeles at home. The same happened again on Wednesday.
“I’m always proud of him,” said Tobias Harris. “I think you saw how he played in Detroit on Blake (Griffin) and then tonight, LeBron was talking about how last year, Matisse got a lot of loose balls from him and now he wasn’t gonna let it happen today, but that’s just respect right there coming from one of the greats in the game, recognize Matisse.”
Thybulle’s best asset is that he is aggressive and he will continue to harass anybody standing in his way. The Sixers want more of that out of him as the season continues on because they want to use him against tougher opponents such as James.
“That’s what Matisse does,” said coach Doc Rivers. “We told him ‘You’re a seven-footer, all the way until it gets to about the 3-point line and then with LeBron you get really small. So you just be aggressive.’ I thought he did that.”
The Sixers will be looking to him a lot more as the season goes on. Thybulle is such a pesky defender and he will use his length and his energy to make sure he helps the team.
“To see his growth as a player and defensively what he’s able to do, we’re gonna need that come playoffs to be able to guard bigger guys and be versatile out there,” Harris added. “He’s continuing to progress and he’s always been really sharp and solid in that area and that’s what we expect of him.”
Thybulle will get another chance to work his way back into the rotation permanently on Friday when they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
