Could Matisse Thybulle Become a Better Robert Covington?
After Matisse Thybulle’s first preseason game last year Joel Embiid was already comparing the rookie to former Sixer Robert Covington.
Now, heading into Thybulle’s second season in the NBA, could he become a new and improved version of the former All-Defensive First Teamer?
Photo: Elizabeth Robertson/Philadelphia Inquirer
Robert Covington signed with the Sixers in 2014 after an unsuccessful first stint with the Houston Rockets. Luckily for Covington in 2014, the Sixers were in the middle of “The Process” so were more than willing to give minutes to an unproven wing who had played most of his career in the D-League up to that point. In Covington’s first season with the Sixers, he played 27 minutes per game in 70 appearances averaging 13.5 points per game and 1.4 steals while shooting .374% from three on 6 attempts per game. Over his next three seasons in Philadelphia, Covington’s stats remained more or less the same despite a decrease in his offensive role as the team improved. This was in large part due to Covington’s increased efficiency in a limited offensive role, however, his real value was on the other end of the floor.
In 2017-18 Robert Covington finished the season 5th in defensive win shares, 9th in steals per game, and 12th in defensive rating. Covington excelled as an off-ball defender and while he may have been somewhat overrated as an on-ball defender he was still above average in that area and deserving of his First Team All-Defense selection. Unfortunately for Covington, it wasn’t until after he was traded that Ben Simmons also became an All-Defensive First Team caliber player also. If Covington was still on the team Simmons’ improvement would’ve enabled him to take the opposing team’s best player and move Robert off-ball to do what he does best in cutting off passing lanes.
Photo: Matt Slocum/Associated Press
What is bad luck for Robert Covington however is equally good luck for Matisse Thybulle. The rookie joined a team that could boast Ben Simmons as its first line of defense and Joel Embiid as its last.
Thybulle was top 20 in the league for steals during his rookie season showing off his already impressive ball-hawking abilities.
While his advanced defensive metrics aren’t quite as impressive as Covington’s he wasn’t asked to do as much as Covington was and at 22 years old he is 2 years younger than Covington was when he joined the team.
Thybulle appears to be on track to fill Covington’s shoes on the defensive end but on offense, there are things to work on. At around 35% from deep Thybulle’s shooting doesn’t look much worse than Covington’s 37%. Covington may have been overrated as a long-range shooter with consistency being a key issue through his time in Philadelphia, while his percentages looked good he was susceptible to go on long cold streaks and miss important shots.
Where Thybulle needs to work is on keeping his percentages while upping the volume of shot attempts. Robert Covington put up 6.6 attempts per game from long range during his time with the Sixers, last season Thybulle averaged 2.4 attempts. Matisse also struggled to finish around the basket last season which is something he will need to address.
Considering the promise Matisse Thybulle showed last season nothing would suggest he won’t develop to be a terrific defender off-ball and guarding second options next to Ben Simmons. Robert Covington’s greatest strength was knowing his role and playing it to the best of his ability.
As a former first-round pick, Thybulle may have more talent, and if he can continue on his current trajectory he has the potential to be one of three players on the Sixers roster challenging for All-Defensive honors.
Featured Image: Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
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