Sixers Trade Up, Get Matisse Thybulle 20th Overall In NBA Draft

PHILADELPHIA, PA — The Sixers traded up in Thursday night's NBA Draft to land an advanced prospect they'd liked for some time: 20th overall pick Mattise Thybulle, a point guard from the University of Washington.

Due to both his age, 22, and the type of player he is, Thybulle could have an immediate impact in Philadelphia. He's the perfect player for a team like the Sixers, who are trying to compete right now, and have no interest in waiting for a high ceiling teenager to develop. Not to mention, their bench corps are their weakness, and Thybulle immediately makes it stronger.

To get Thybulle with the 20th overall pick, the Sixers gave the Boston Celtics their 24th overall (UVA's Ty Jerome) and 33rd overall picks.

>>Norristown's Cam Reddish Selected 10th Overall In NBA Draft

The 6 foot, 5 inch tall Thybulle is not known for his offensive prowess, but he was named the NCAA's 2019 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. He's also the first player in 20 years to garner 100 steals and 70 blocks in the same season, according to sportswriter Tom Moore.

Interestingly enough, the last time the Sixers traded up in the Draft with Boston in order to select a player from Washington was...not that long ago. They did the exact same thing to land Markelle Fultz with the first overall pick in the 2017 Draft.

The New Orleans Pelicans took dominant Duke superstar Zion Williamson with the first overall pick, as expected. Norristown native and fellow Blue Devil Cam Reddish was taken by the Atlanta Hawks with the 10th overall pick.

With Thybulle in the fold, the Sixers have made the first move of consequence this offseason, after coming just a bounce away from defeating the eventual NBA Champion Toronto Raptors in the postseason. As three of their five starters from that team — J.J. Redick, Tobias Harris, and Jimmy Butler — are still free agents, the team still has a lot of work to do before the 2019-20 season opens next fall.