I first did one for Trey Burke, then Kristaps Porzingis, followed by Jonathan Isaac and last year it was Mikal Bridges. The purpose is to make a case for semi-dark horse options and not so much that we should take them at our current draft spot, but that we should consider them in trade downs or trade ups as well. We've had some great discussions in the past... The KP thread was a fun 72 pages long!
I don't expect this thread to go beyond 5 pages, but it should! This year, my candidate is Matisse Thybulle from the University of Washington!
TEAM: Washington
YEAR: Senior
POSITION: SG/SF
HEIGHT: 6'5"
WINGSPAN: 7'0"
WEIGHT: 195 lbs
Thybulle did not attend the NBA Combine so he has been flying under the radar a bit. I feel like if he were listed on the common height/wingspan charts out there that he would be garnering a lot more attention from Magic fans. But that is probably the very reason why he did not participate in the combine. Rumor first had it that he had a draft promise from OKC... that followed by rumors that Boston and most lately, the Spurs have given him a promise at pick 19... causing some to believe that the Celtics might now reach for him at pick 14.
Magic fans should not be sleeping on Thybulle. He's the 2 time Defensive POY in the PAC12 conference and it's not just in label. He surpassed Gary Payton's 30 year steal record and was a demon on defense being the NCAA leader in steals this year, averaging 3.5 spg and also tacking on 2.3 bpg. PAC12 Defensive Rating (1st), Defensive Win Shares (1st), Defensive Box Plus/Minus (1st), Box Plus/Minus (1st). He's not just a great defender, he's a world class elite defender. His zone and on ball defense is easily the best in this draft and these skills should translate early as he moves to the NBA. Defensive ability is often talked about as something you either have or don't have. You need certain God given talents to be a good defender. But just because you have a long wingspan or explosive traits... it doesn't automatically make you a good defender. His unique combination of high BBIQ, great length, hand speed, high motor, energy, grit and will make for a truly rare defender.
[quote]Indeed, there's only four palyers besides Thybulle in Sports-Reference searchable database (back to 91-92) to have NBA wing size and NBA wing athleticism and to even have 100 steals and 20 blocks in a season.
Great read: https://www.thestepien.com/2019/01/06/draft-notes-understanding-matisse-thybulle//quote]
To put that into perspective, Thybulle finished his senior season with 126 steals and 82 blocks!
With the rule changes and modern trends in the NBA, backcourt defense is becoming a more and more greater need than low post defense and I'm not sure if that's catching on just yet. Guards who light up the league on offense, but give it right back on defense are sitting down at home right now watching the NBA Finals. Good teams need to be able to lock down the wings. Curry, Klay, KD, Lowry, Green, Leonard... they can get the job done on both sides of the ball.
Thybulle checks off the boxes on defense, but where does he stand on offense, you say? Well, this is where we start realizing why he's not being talked about much as a lottery guy. After a 4 year college career, Thybulle only stands at a meager 9 ppg scorer... but don't let that sway you too much. His offense is efficient. Career .550 TS%, .358 3PT%. That puts him in good territory. Maybe his ceiling is low, but his floor is certainly high especially being a more seasoned college prospect. But even though he enters the league at 22 years old, he still has a lot of room to grow on offense. Kind of reminds me of the way Oladipo came into the league as a 3 year college player and only a 10 ppg college scorer. You never know what can happen when a player has drive and opportunity. Yes, critics will point to his dip in 3PT efficiency this past season as he shot a low .305 percentage. However, 3 prior years shooting .366, .405 and .365 combined with his .851 Free Throw accuracy tells me we can believe in his offensive upside.
Right now I have Thybulle ahead of names like Langford, NAW, Porter Jr, Keldon, Okpala. Langford is too much of a wild card. He's a scorer, but it's hard to trust his efficiencies... a big part of me does not buy injury as a reason for his college season and now it seems like he's protecting himself from being exposed in predraft workouts by declaring another injury. NAW has a lot to like, most especially his playmaking, but he's such a vanilla player with his lack of NBA athleticism. On the other hand, Porter oozes athleticism, but he hasn't put it all together yet. Porter is #2 on my list because he is more naturally gifted. Keldon looks like a Keith Bogans type of player, Herro is a defensive liability and Okpala would not be talked about if he wasn't long. So I have them ranked Thybulle, Porter Jr, NAW, Langford, Keldon, Herro, Okpala. It's a mishmatch bunch for sure in terms of the talent available in our range at 16. To each their own. For me, it's Thybulle who gives me the most security... solid defense combined with hopeful upside on offense. Even if we get a role player at 16, this is the kind of role player who could stick long term.
Under WeHam, the Magic have been giving me the feeling that they are truly building something special with thier young player acquisitions. At the forefront of that vision is tremendous length combined with athleticism and 3pt shooting. Matisse Thybulle is not on the radar for most Magic fans, but I have a feeling that he is high on WeHam's board. He seems to check off the core traits that they look for. Remember, Isaac wasn't even brought in for a visit when we drafted him. Don't be distracted by our predraft visits.
, is impressive) and his ft% gives me some hope that he could turn into a 3&D player at the next level I just don't think his fit on our roster is a good one. 
