Philadelphia 76ers: 3 reasons Matisse Thybulle was a good pick

After moving up in the 2019 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers selected Matisse Thybulle at No. 20. Here’s why it was a good pick.

In case you missed the 2019 NBA Draft on Thursday, numerous players — current and incoming — were traded. The Philadelphia 76ers were among those involved in the shuffling frenzy, as they sacrificed pick Nos. 24 and 33 to slide up and select forward Matisse Thybulle at No. 20.

It was an emotional night for the Washington product, in more ways than one. He fought back tears remembering his mother, who passed before his final collegiate home game after she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia earlier this season.

That moment instantly touched the crowd, and especially Philadelphia.

Thybulle, 22, had reportedly been chief on general manager Elton Brand and the Sixers’ list of targets for some time. He didn’t work out for any other teams during the pre-draft period, holding the knowledge that Philly would do whatever was necessary to snag him. They did, indeed.

While Thybulle does fulfill most of the team’s current needs, it’s fair to argue whether he could’ve remained safely until No. 24 — before the Sixers handed off another bundle to their Eastern Conference rival in the Boston Celtics.

It’s worth noting there were still lottery-caliber names on the board when this decision was made. Did it make any logical sense under the circumstances? Could they have waited four more picks? Will they regret allowing players like Bol Bol, Brandon Clarke or Carsen Edwards slip through their fingers? Only time will tell.

Nevertheless, Brand and company got what they wanted. We recently noted that all this roster truly needed to gain from the draft, in its win-now state, was one more key role player — someone capable of providing quality bench minutes that Brett Brown could lean on for heated stretches. So despite all of the mid-draft furor, the Sixers came away with the guy they feel best fits the system.

Here’s why it’s going to work out for them in the end.