Updated: 8:13 p.m.
It appears the Sixers will be without impressive rookie Matisse Thybulle for at least the next couple weeks.
The 2019 first-round pick was diagnosed with a right knee sprain and bruise after he was evaluated Sunday morning, per a team spokesperson. The injury occurred as the result of a hyperextension injury suffered in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s win after contact with the Wizards’ Troy Brown Jr.
Thybulle is out indefinitely and will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks.
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SIGN UP HERE While he's out, expect Furkan Korkmaz's minutes to increase. Perhaps second-year guard Shake Milton, who's played well down in Delaware and will join the team in Detroit Monday, will get another look. We could also see Trey Burke play more as a small two alongside Ben Simmons.
Thybulle is first among rookies in steals and is fourth in blocks. Touted as a 3-and-D prospect when GM Elton Brand traded up for him, the 22-year-old also leads all first-year players and is seventh in the NBA in three-point shooting at 46.3 percent (minimum 50 attempts).
While Thybulle will be missed in general, the game against the Bucks on Christmas Day will hurt an awful lot. The Sixers allow the fewest threes made and attempted per game in the league and Thybulle is a big part of that. Milwaukee’s roster is constructed where it has surrounded reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo with a bunch of shooters. The Bucks are third in the NBA in threes made and attempted per game.
Thybulle himself was looking forward to the challenge and honor to play during the league’s showcase on Christmas day.
NBA
“It's special,” Thybulle said during the team’s event with the Boys and Girls Club of Chester before Friday’s game. “I mean, I grew up watching these games. I've watched them every year since I was a little kid. So to think I get to be a part of it this year and be a part of something that I grew up loving is a pretty cool experience.”
It’s disappointing that the rookie won’t get to participate, but at least the injury occurred early in the season and Thybulle will have a chance to be healthy for the stretch run.
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