Why The Sixers Should Wait To Give Matisse Thybulle An Extension

SportsMoney Why The Sixers Should Wait To Give Matisse Thybulle An Extension Bryan Toporek Senior Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Following New! Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories. Got it! Oct 14, 2022, 11:18am EDT | New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 21: Matisse Thybulle #22 of the Philadelphia 76ers guards Kyle Lowry #7 of .

. . [+] the Miami Heat at the Wells Fargo Center on March 21, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The 76ers defeated the Heat 113-106. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) Getty Images Philadelphia 76ers wing Matisse Thybulle is heading into the final year of his rookie-scale contract, which means he’s eligible to sign an extension until 6 p.

m. ET on Monday, Oct. 17.

If he and the Sixers don’t reach an agreement by that date, he’ll become a restricted free agent next offseason. Unless Thybulle is willing to sign a team-friendly extension, the Sixers would be better off letting him play out the final year of his contract and test restricted free agency next summer. Thybulle has already earned two All-Defensive team nods in his first three NBA seasons, and he’s among the league’s most disruptive defenders in some respects.

Despite playing only 25. 5 minutes per game last season, he ranked fourth leaguewide in deflections (3. 8) and was tied for sixth in steals (1.

7) per game. He was also third in Dunks and Threes’ defensive estimated plus/minus metric, trailing only Draymond Green and Gary Payton II. (See? Not all advanced metrics hate Sixers players!) However, those numbers may slightly overstate Thybulle’s defensive impact.

Although players shot 4. 8 percentage points worse than average when matched up against him, his tendency to gamble for steals and blocks leaves him out of position at times. Ben Simmons’ absence this past season exposed his limitations as a lockdown on-ball defender, too.

He’s far better suited to wreak havoc off the ball in passing lanes. The bigger concern from the Sixers’ perspective is Thybulle’s lack of offensive development. After shooting a promising 35.

7 percent from deep as a rookie, he’s dropped down to 30. 7 percent over the past two seasons combined. He also isn’t a threat to create anything off the dribble for himself or his teammates, either.

NBA players typically use the offseason to improve their weaknesses, but Thybulle didn’t have that luxury over the past few years. “I didn’t really have a chance to work on myself the last two offseasons,” he said during the Sixers’ media day in late September. “The first one was Covid, and there were no [available] gyms.

The second one, I was working to win a medal at the Olympics with Australia, so there wasn’t a lot of space for me to just work on Matisse. So this was my first chance to have a whole offseason—a real, traditional offseason—and dedicate it solely to improving myself. ” MORE FOR YOU Patrick Byrne Of Overstock Fame Says He Was Involved In Monthslong Effort To Overturn 2020 Election Legendary Value Investor Bill Miller Says Buy Bitcoin And 8 Other Stock Bargains The Best Watch Brands To Wear And Gift To Others, From Starter Models To Total Splurges Worth Collecting Head coach Doc Rivers said no player on the team outworked Thybulle, Tyrese Maxey and Paul Reed this summer, although the results didn’t quite translate to the preseason for Thybulle.

He went 1-of-3 from deep in the Sixers’ first preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets and 0-of-3 against the Cleveland Cavaliers two nights later. Thybulle got off to a similarly inauspicious start in the Sixers’ second preseason game against the Cavaliers, bricking his first two three-point attempts (including an airball). However, he drilled each of his final three triples, which drew praise from his teammates.

“I’m super proud just because he’s putting the time and the work in and just having the mentality to let it fly,” Tobias Harris told reporters afterward. “I don’t care how many shots he makes. I just care that he’s letting them go.

And it’s real growth, because you just look at the game, the first one was an airball. More times than not, most guys fall into a tunnel, like, ‘Should I take the next one?’ And the next one he took was a fast three, no conscience. That type of mentality is huge.

” It would behoove the Sixers to see how Thybulle’s offseason work carries over to the regular season before making a long-term commitment to him. He started 50 games last season, but his offensive limitations made him virtually unplayable in the playoffs. The Sixers outscored their opponents by 3.

8 points per 100 possessions with Thybulle on the floor during the regular season, but they got outscored by 15. 5 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor during the playoffs. Opposing defenders routinely ignored him when he parked outside the three-point line, and the Sixers didn’t find ways to weaponize him off the ball as a screener or cutter.

Thybulle’s vaccination status also might have contributed to his up-and-down postseason. He wasn’t able to travel to the Sixers’ first-round road games against the Toronto Raptors, which caused him to lose his starting spot to Danny Green. That shouldn’t be an issue this year—Canada has removed its entry requirements as of Oct.

1 —but another Covid surge could be a wild card for Thybulle in that regard. Even if Thybulle does begin knocking down a higher percentage of his three-pointers during the regular season, opponents may still give him that same treatment in the playoffs. Leaving him open for a triple is a higher-odds proposition than single-covering Joel Embiid or letting James Harden or Tyrese Maxey drive to the basket.

Still, the Sixers could use the regular season to see how Thybulle meshes with their new-look supporting cast. Following Harden’s arrival in February, the Sixers briefly tinkered with a Harden-Thybulle pick-and-roll that seemed to breathe new offensive life into the latter. However, those looks were nowhere to be found once the playoffs began.

Thybulle attempted only 24 shots during his 137 postseason minutes last year, going 7-of-10 from two-point range and 4-of-14 from deep. This year, Thybulle will have to compete for backup minutes with offseason acquisition De’Anthony Melton, who pairs Thybulle’s penchant for steals and blocks with a much more reliable long-range game. Melton went from shooting 29.

4 percent from deep over his first two seasons to 38. 8 percent on 4. 7 three-point attempts per game over the past two.

He’s also a far better ball-handler than Thybulle, although the Sixers shouldn’t rely on him as their primary backup point guard. (They should instead stagger Maxey and Harden and let Melton serve as a secondary playmaker. ) The Sixers could pair Thybulle and Melton to wreak defensive havoc against opposing bench units.

Thybulle sounded bullish on that idea during media day. “I think being able to have this type of tag-teaming effect, where we can throw different looks,” he said. “It’s one thing to have guys who can get steals and blocks, but it’s another thing to have guys who do it in different ways.

” The Sixers might want to see that tandem in action before making a long-term commitment to Thybulle. They also have to keep their long-term financial outlook in mind during his extension negotiations. With only seven players under guaranteed contracts for next season, the Sixers are already projected to have roughly $117.

1 million on their books. If Harden declines his $35. 6 million player option and re-signs for anywhere close to a max contract, that alone could push them close to the projected $162 million luxury-tax threshold.

From there, they’ll have only the $7. 0 million taxpayer mid-level exception and veteran-minimum contracts to round out their roster. The Sixers will have full Bird rights on Thybulle next summer, so they’ll be allowed to exceed the salary cap (and luxury-tax threshold) to re-sign him.

They’ll also have the right to match any offer sheet that he signs with another team as a restricted free agent. The ball will be in their court even if they don’t sign him to an extension by Monday. If Thybulle takes a major offensive leap, the Sixers might regret not locking him in at a cheaper price ahead of Monday’s deadline.

But given the uncertainty about his offensive outlook, his playoff viability and their long-term financial picture—not to mention potential luxury-tax changes coming in the NBA’s next collective bargaining agreement—it would behoove the Sixers to have a fuller picture before re-signing Thybulle. Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA. com , PBPStats , Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference .

All salary information via Spotrac or RealGM . All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook . Follow me on Twitter .

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