Sixers’ Matisse Thybulle is cleared to practice
The Sixers moved up four spots in a trade with the Boston Celtics to select the former Washington swingman with the 20th pick on draft night.
Matisse Thybulle will be available for the start of the 76ers training camp Tuesday.
Thybulle, a first-round acquisition in June’s NBA draft, rolled his right ankle while working out at the team’s practice facility Monday. He was held out of Brett Brown’s coaches clinic Monday night for precautionary reasons. He was re-examined Tuesday and worked out on Wednesday.
The Sixers moved up four spots in a trade with the Boston Celtics to select the former Washington swingman with the 20th pick on draft night. Boston received the Sixers’ 24th pick and the 33rd overall selection, a second-rounder.
The team promised Thybulle that it would draft him if he was still available at the time of its selection. As a result, he shut down his predraft workouts and didn’t attend the NBA combine.
Thybulle, 22, who started four seasons in college, gives the Sixers an older draft pick who might get a chance to step right in and contribute to their rotation.
He averaged 9.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.5 steals for the Huskies last season. He can put the ball on the floor and pass, and was thought to be the best perimeter defender in the draft.
A knock on him was his inconsistency as a shooter. But an Eastern Conference executive said that with practice and repetition, Thybulle can become a good shooter. Thybulle made 30.5 percent of his three-pointers last season and shot 35.8 percent for his career. He’s confident in his shot. And he displayed a solid shooting touch in July at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.