Anthony Mazziotti
For the third year in a row the Sixers made a move on draft night.
When I saw Adrian Wojnarowski’s tweet saying the Sixers were trading with the Boston Celtics to draft a guard from Washington I had Vietnam style flashbacks.
Deal is agreed on — and Sixers will send Boston Nos. 24 and 33 in this draft, league sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/XM7bHrkNH7
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 21, 2019
Matisse Thybulle, a senior from Washington, stands at 6’5″ and weighs 195 pounds. He is the premiere lockdown defender of the draft, finishing as the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year in 2019, the Lefty Driesell Award winner given to the nation’s best defender in 2019, the collegiate steals leader in 2019, first team All Pac-12 in 2019, two-time Pac-12 defensive player of the year in 2018-19 and two-time Pac-12 all defensive team in 2018-19.
His offense is something to work on, never averaging more than 11 points per game at Washington or shooting above a 40% clip from beyond the arc.
It could be argued that a lockdown defender was the missing piece of the 2019 Sixers playoff run, I’m still having nightmares of Kawhi Leonard torching the Sixers for 30+ points per night. Elton Brand and the front office remedied that with the 20th pick of the draft.
Check out Thybulle’s first interview after being drafted after the jump:
“I wish she was here to see it.”
Matisse Thybulle talking about how his late mother inspired him is powerful. pic.twitter.com/DPF6SB44AL
— ESPN (@espn) June 21, 2019
Yeah, I’m all in on this kid now. Welcome to Philly, Matisse.
You can follow Anthony Mazziotti on Twitter (@AntMazziotti) and e-mail him at [email protected].
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