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Matisse Thybulle Will Reportedly NOT be in the Rising Stars Challenge
Published:
Per Chris Haynes:
Philadelphia 76ers rookie Matisse Thybulle was not voted in by assistant coaches to be a participant in the Rising Stars Game, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 31, 2020
That’s a bummer. Thybulle has been fun to watch this year, a tenacious defender who will likely grow into a bona fide three and D NBA player.
This season he leads all rookies in steals, is 5th in blocks, and is shooting 36.6% from three. Of course there’s typically a bias against defensive-minded players when it comes to honors like these, since their contributions are harder to parse. It’s also difficult to quantify or qualify how Thybulle’s energy and commitment to that side of the ball enhance and elevate the other players around him, typically in the third and fourth quarters. All-Star games and showcase games are always going to be a platform for scorers to shine, so it is what it is.
There’s been quite a bit of voting malpractice out there, actually. Devin Booker and Bradley Beal were head-scratching All-Star Game omissions. The fan voting isn’t an absolute science, but when the coaches trend the way they do, it’s a little harder to understand.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com