PHILADELPHIA – JULY 3, 2019 – Philadelphia 76ers General Manager Elton Brand announced today that the team has signed Matisse Thybulle, the No. 20 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.
“Matisse was the best defensive wing in the draft and his tenacious and gritty play fit our culture perfectly,” Brand said. “A talented shooter and a great person off the court, we’re very excited to welcome Matisse to the 76ers family.”
Thybulle, a four-year player from Washington, capped his collegiate career by securing the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award and earning his second consecutive Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honor. In 36 games as a senior, Thybulle averaged 9.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 3.5 steals and 2.3 blocks in 31.1 minutes per game, as he was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team. He ended his senior season with 126 steals and a team-high 83 blocks, making him the only player in the last 20 seasons to record both 100 steals and 80 blocks in the same year. He is one of just three players to average 2.0 blocks and 2.0 steals in a season.
The Issaquah, Washington native tallied 331 total steals in his four seasons with the Huskies, breaking the Pac-12 record previously held by Hall of Famer Gary Payton. Over his final two seasons at Washington, the team strung together consecutive 20-win seasons, including a 27-9 mark in 2018-19. The Huskies were Pac-12 regular season champions and earned a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the second round.