2019 NBA Draft Grades: No. 20 Pick Matisse Thybulle Reportedly Headed to Sixers
Washington guard Matisse Thybulle is reportedly headed to the Philadelphia 76ers with the No. 20 pick in the 2019 draft.
The 76ers agreed to acquire the No. 20 pick in a trade with the Boston Celtics in exchange for Philly's No. 24 and No. 33 picks, reports ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Thybulle was a four-year starter at Washington. The senior is known for his defensive prowess, highlighted by his 3.5 steals per game during his final season with the Huskies. Thybulle was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and Pac-12 All-Defense performer each of the past two seasons.
Thybulle is listed at 6'5" and 200 pounds. He averaged 9.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game during last season.
SI NBA draft expert Jeremy Woo’s breakdown: In terms of defensive impact, Thybulle is among the best players in the country, to the degree that he needs to be taken seriously in spite of the fact Washington plays exclusively zone. If you believe what he does translates—and noting his quickness, length and disruptive hands, it should—then he has a strong case in the first round. While he’s unlikely to be much of an offensive weapon, as a 36% career three-point shooter (and 78% from the line), it’s fair to bet that his jumper stays passable. If you couple that with potentially elite perimeter defense, you have the makings of a very solid role player. All things considered, he’s a low-risk, high-reward option in this range of the draft.
Woo's Grade: B
This pick was reportedly dealt from Boston to Philadelphia, for picks No. 24 and 33. My read on this is that Boston sussed out that the Sixers were the mystery team who had tried to shut Thybulle down, dating back to before the draft combine. They were able to extract additional draft value out of them by taking him here and then moving back. This is shrewd operating by the Celtics, and remains a solid pick for the Sixers—Thybulle needs to grow offensively, but his defense could be outstanding, and he fits nicely with Philly as a long-term role player.
