Matisse Thybulle and 3 other reasons why the Philadelphia 76ers should not trade Ben Simmons
Matisse Thybulle is one of the NBA's best on-the-ball and help defenders. As the Philadelphia 76ers figure out their next move regarding the enigmatic Ben Simmons, the value of Thybulle is on full display.
If Philly seeks to continue their relevant play in the NBA, keeping Thybulle aligned with both Simmons and Joel Embiid should be a top priority.
In a league that clamors for the 3-point shot, a true semblance of defense is an outlier, yet when championships are won, how the team played defense in the most pressurized moments is usually why that title was won.
The 76ers have a conundrum, highlighted by Matisse Thybulle and the tremendous defense he played on Steph Curry in Philly's 102-93 victory over the NBA's marquee team, the Golden State Warriors, on Saturday.
Don't be prisoners of the moment, Philadelphia fans. Thybulle can't do it alone despite what has become evident for the third-year defensive star.
Thybulle is a defensive juggernaut. As great as Simmons was last season defensively, Thybulle was just as efficient.
Here are three reasons why Philadelphia should buck the narrative and keep Simmons paired with Thybulle on the perimeter. Keeping Simmons would maintain a defensive presence, proving the 76ers as the best defense in the NBA when Embiid, Simmons and Thybulle simply play to their abilities -- together.
.@MatisseThybulle understood the assignment last night. https://t.co/OYs5LqAa7a
Philadelphia 76ers
With the exception of the developing Detroit Pistons and the Orlando Magic, 13 teams in the improved Eastern Conference are capable of making the playoffs. The 76ers are the defending Atlantic Division champions and had the best record in the East last season because of the emergence of Embiid, defending the 3-point shot with Thybulle and the professionalism of Doc Rivers' coaching staff.
Even with the absence of all-world defender Simmons, the 76ers (15-12 entering Monday night's game at the Memphis Grizzlies) are in the thick of the division and the conference. The 76ers will be a player in how the East is won, and as Embiid establishes himself as the best big man in the NBA, Philadelphia will continue to win.
The fight to the top got more challenging this offseason with the moves the Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Washington Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers made, yet the wisdom and experience of the past few years should be a reason why the 76ers finally get out of the second round and into the Eastern Conference finals.
For now, there is no definitive favorite in the East, and sitting four games behind the Brooklyn Nets (19-8) is where Philly should be. Yet what's next?
"I think he has the chance to be the Defensive Player of the Year."
—Joel Embiid on Matisse Thybulle holding Steph to 2-13 FG tonight
(via @saltersl) https://t.co/IM6nZlRVWw
Ben Simmons, Matisse Thybulle and Joel Embiid
The 76ers' defensive rating with all three defenders last season was second in the NBA at 107.6 and offensively, 113.2. That's a net rating of 5.6 -- which was fifth in the NBA. They were stifiling at times, and regardless of how great the opposition was, when teams played Philly, their grit and purpose defensively remained a constant, and Philly led the conference in wins at 49-23.
This season, the 76ers are in the middle of the pack with the potential to burst into the clear. Philly was 13th in offensive rating last year, and while they are 12th this season, their defensive rating of 109.6 is 18th. Philly's net rating of 0.7 is 13th, and Simmons' absence is the main reason why teams have it a little easier when matched up with the 76ers.
Thybulle is a bandage the 76ers need to compete, but is Thybulle enough? The young defensive stalwart understands his role, yet knows he needs help from his more experienced mates.
Thybulle expressed his thoughts on Simmons with former Philly sharpshooter JJ Redick -- who retired this season -- when Redick asked if the Philly front office, media and fans threw Simmons under the bus:
"As a teammate, as a friend, you hate to see people put in this situation that's so heavily covered by the media, because people lose sight of the human aspect of all of us as athletes, especially in these times. Especially in controversial times where we're looked at as a commodity. I don't even know exactly what people consider us in these moments, but it's not as humans. On a personal level, I do feel for him (Ben Simmons), because this would suck for anybody."
In the 76ers' home opener against the Brooklyn Nets on Oct. 22, Embiid addressed the Philly fans in attendance, returning from a summer of vitriolic frustration after Simmons passed up an open dunk in the most important moments of a Game 7 home loss to the Atlanta Hawks:
"Whassup guys? It's good to have you back! On behalf of my teammates, organization and myself, I just wanna say, 'Thank you,' for your support all these years and then now. A lot has happened the last few months. I urge you guys to continue to support us and our teammate Ben because he's our brother. Let's go!"
When these matters happen, usually there is someone on the team or within the organization who will come out against a teammate. What should be noted in Philadelphia is that no teammate has been critical of Simmons to the point that it's irrecovable.
In fact, the opposite is transpiring, and teammates are supporting Simmons publicly and appear genuine in that support. Some may say this is an act of public relations, and that the team is only falling in line to protect the brand. However, having covered this team, it's apparent Simmons' teammates care about him just as much as they care about the Philadelphia 76ers' NBA season.
Why should this be fixed despite all the dysfunction?
No. 3: Matisse Thybulle, his youth and his demeanor
Even fans of Philly teams who live outside the area understand how this city works. Once the fans are done with a player, and the media in the city digs in, there's not much that can transpire except getting rid of that player.
That dynamic happened with Wilt Chamberlain, Allen Iverson and Charles Barkley and almost happened with Julius Erving. The model blows up in the city's face, because the media attention is not present to help the team get through stuff, but more to exacerbate the situation to the point of being about internet clicks that subsequently have nothing to do with how everything began.
Enter Matisse Thybulle. With a 5-minutes-per-game increase from last season, Thybulle has upped every offensive statistic with the exception of 3-point shooting.
The third-year, 6-foot-5 shooting guard out of Washington has a versatile defensive mindset that allows him to lock up players individually or help out his teammates by hassling offensive players and using his long arms in passing lanes to cause deflections and changes of possession.
When Thybulle is on the floor with Simmons and Embiid at the same time, Philly is a hard team to crack, and possessions will be limited. Thybulle is a calming influence transcendent of his youth, and with such a laid-back approach to his craft, Thybulle is perfect in a city that is passionate about its teams.
Thybulle's comments to the press are never that serious to the point where he's surprised in his reactions to stuff Philly fans get all out of sorts over. If not for Thybulle and Embiid, it would be really challenging to resolve this, and these two in particular deserve credit for keeping the team afloat exclusive of the coaching staff and front office.
No. 2: Defending the Brooklyn Nets
Before the offseason changed how the Eastern Conference is viewed, two teams stood in the way of Philly: the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks and the high-powered Brooklyn Nets.
The Bucks, of course, would make teams react to their winning the NBA championship, yet because the Nets employ three players who are difficult to stop any night individually, fans are seeing a patient process with how the Philly brass deals with Simmons.
With Kyrie Irving out with his refusal to take the COVID vaccination, why would Philly rush a transaction that most likely wouldn't land comparative compensation?
The first move shouldn't be made until after Irving either takes the jab or is traded from Brooklyn. The latter would be insane to consider, yet like Philly, the Brooklyn fanbase is restless and yearning for an NBA championship.
With Simmons and Thybulle defending the perimeter or any of the three Nets' superstars, the 76ers are the only team that can defend the Nets consistently to their favor. Simmons and Thybulle are capable of guarding any of the three at any time, and with the large presence of Embiid at the rim, Philly could be Brooklyn's Kryptonite.
No. 1: Defense wins NBA championships
The current offensive era is stroked with the popularity of fantasy sports and the emergence of Steph Curry's assault on the 3-point record.
Pace and space are contributing to the advent of small ball, and traditional teams buoyed by 7-foot, back-to-the-basket centers are no longer an NBA fixture. While the 76ers have issues elsewhere and specifically with the jump shot-challenged Simmons, no one who has ever watched a game or played the sport sees Philly as a team not capable of shutting teams down on defense.
Though the 76ers have appeared to throw Ben Simmons under the bus at times, what they haven't done is make a hasty move that will set the organization back at the same time the Eastern Conference is rising in class and talent.
Impatient fans must understand that despite the narrative that teams rarely receive a fair return in trades, it would be stupid of Philly to unload a once-in-a-generation defensive player in Simmons simply because the town is tired of him and what many consider to be childish antics.
What's great about this 76ers team is how it appears they are just trying to figure it all out as a galvanized unit. They are a true team that enjoys playing together and will do whatever it takes for each other. This is a testament again to the very human demeanors of Embiid and Thybulle.
Yes, Thybulle has a heavy professional burden at the age of 24.
If Philadelphia simply figures this all out, and if Simmons wearily decides to rejoin the team, this year could be salvaged as more than just being happy with a team that could finish in the top four of the Eastern Conference.
Elton Brand and Daryl Morey are just as hungry for a championship as any living Philadelphia 76ers fan. They understand the value of Thybulle, and it would behoove the fanbase to exercise a little more patience when it comes to Simmons.
Thybulle will be a NBA Defensive Player of the Year candidate, yet cannot be put on an island by himself and expected to fortify Philly's perimeter defense.
The Simmons situation must be worked out, and if it does not work out, Philly must acquire either an equal player for Simmons to slide alongside Thybulle or a myriad of players who do it on both ends or Philadelphia will not compete for Eastern Conference supremacy -- let alone the NBA championship.