What should Sixers expect from NBA draft picks Matisse Thybulle and Marial Shayok?

The 76ers went into the 2019 NBA draft with five picks and came away with two players; Matisse Thybulle and Marial Shayok.

There’s plenty of questioning that can be done about the moves that the Sixers made on draft night, namely what they gave up and what they got in return. But, for right now let’s take a look at the players that are actually headed to Philadelphia.

Each player offers a different skill-set, different strengths, and different weaknesses.

Selected by Boston with the 20th pick and traded to the Sixers, many league executives and analysts were surprised that Thybulle fell as far as he did in the draft. He’s the kind of player that, even with some of his offensive limitations (more on that later), his defense makes him a player that can come in and contribute right away.

“We know the wings we’re going to face in the East this year,” Sixers general manager Elton Brand said Thursday night. “So to get the best defensive wing ... we needed him ... we need that piece that can step in right now."

At 6-foot-5 with a 7-foot wingspan, Thybulle was one of the most threatening and impactful defensive players that college basketball has seen in decades. His block (82) and steal (126) numbers from his fourth and final season at Washington are astounding by any metric, but there was so much more to why he earned defensive player of the year honors.

His off-ball instincts and the way he anticipates the offense’s moves are Kawhi-Leonard like. His hands seem to find their way into passing lanes even when it seems like there is no chance that they will. His block numbers stand out even more when you consider his size and position.

The one doubt that has been raised concerning Thybulle’s defense is that he spent the last two years playing in a zone defense under coach Mike Hopkins. The zone allowed him more of an opportunity to roam and some feel that it inflated Thybulle’s numbers and that there could be a drop off when he moves to the NBA where man-defense and switching are more prominent.

»READ MORE: In Matisse Thybulle, Sixers hope they have found a rotation fixture through the NBA draft | David Murphy

To those worried about Thybulle’s defensive skills translating to the NBA, the rookie said that his entire body of work is what should be considered.

“If you look back I think I still led the PAC 12 in steals when I was playing under coach [Lorenzo] Romar and we were playing man and we switched everything,” he said on Thursday night. “It’s just about figuring it out and I’m not worried that I won’t be able to. I’ve played man my whole life except for two years.”

On the offensive end, Thybulle has all the makings and potential to be an ideal 3-and-D wing, which would be welcomed with open arms as the Sixers look to add depth. The only problem is that Thybulle’s three-point percentage fell pretty dramatically in his junior and senior season. He went from shooting upwards of 40 percent from deep in his sophomore season to shooting just 30.5 percent from three-point range in his final season with the Huskies.

“With teams, you’ve got to sacrifice and I think for my team I had to sacrifice a little bit on the scoring end in order for us to be successful,” he said.

»READ MORE: Analysts say Sixers made smart move in trading with Celtics for Matisse Thybulle

If that were the reason for his drop in three-point efficiency it would make sense if his three-point attempts were down, but his per-game attempts (4.2) were identical in his sophomore and senior seasons and he took 20 more threes in his final season than he did in 2016-17.

On the other hand Thybulle’s 85.1 percent free-throw percentage indicates that he has the tools to adapt with form and touch. As far as the shot is concerned, Brand is confident that Thybulle will be just fine.

“Not concerned at all,” Brand said. “He will continue to grow, he will be a shooter, he will be in this league for a long time.”

After three seasons with Virginia Shayok transferred to Iowa State where he started every game in his senior season and averaged 18.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. At 6-6 Shayok has proven to be a pretty proficient pick-and-roll player who is a great passer.

The Sixers had Shayok in for a workout on May 20 and there must have been something that the front office saw that stuck with them.

That being said, Shayok is viewed as having a lower ceiling all around and could be more of a project for the Sixers despite the fact that he is 23 years old.

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Brand said that he expects for Shayok to play in summer league, along with Thybulle, but admitted that Shayok will have a harder time breaking into the rotation. Though he’s experienced, he is more likely to spend a lot of his time with the Delaware Blue Coats.

“Great talent, look forward to him being a part of our organization,” Brand said.