3 reasons why Cavs should consider Matisse Thybulle in 2019 NBA Draft

#1: His defensive ceiling is massive

Playing at the University of Washington and not piling up massive scoring or assist numbers to feasibly draw casual NBA fans, it’s the defensive end of the floor where Thybulle will make his mark in the Association. He was recently named the Pac-12 Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row (h/t the Seattle Times‘ Percy Allen).

Thybulle’s defensive instincts are impeccable, and that’s a huge part of why (per 247 Sports’ Dawgman’s Chris Fetters) he’s the “first Division I player in 20 years to have 100 steals and 70 blocked shots in a season.”

Furthermore, as the defensive savant set the Pac-12 single-season steals record as of yesterday, in which he set the mark in a Pac-12 tournament win over USC, per the U-Dub Hoops’ Twitter.

https://twitter.com/UW_MBB/status/1106274308802789376

Thybulle is a terror playing one of the two at the top of UW head coach Mike Hopkins’ 2-3 zone, and the threat Thybulle poses makes opposing offenses second guess throwing even basic passes, and often limits penetration opportunities.

Thybulle’s 7-foot wingspan flies off the TV screen, and it allows him to recover so well even after closeouts, and routinely swat opposing jump shooters from behind.

His impeccable anticipation, timing, and athleticism are the reason for him to have an otherworldly 2.9 blocks per 40 minutes for a perimeter player (per Sports Reference). His career plus-5.6 defensive box plus-minus mark is nothing to sneeze at, either.

Now, playing in a defensive playmaking role that enables him to gamble with a zone behind him probably has inflated his steal and block numbers, but the ease as to which those numbers have come to the senior are worth noting.

The Cleveland Cavaliers do not many players currently on their roster who project as high-level defenders on the perimeter in the coming years, and Thybulle’s combination of basketball intellect, unique length and ability to be an impact help and weak-side defender right away have to warrant strong consideration from Altman and company with the Houston pick.

Thybulle could feasibly pester opposing primary ball-handlers in a number of instances throughout games, as there’s plenty of instances in which you see Thybulle beat offensive players to their spots, and slide well to dictate their decision-making thereafter and deter scoring or playmaking chances.

His hands are magnets for opposing ball-handlers, and the turnovers he’s generated are not simply because of him playing in the aforementioned Washington 2-3 zone, as The Stepien’s Ben Rubin detailed.

His technique on the perimeter puts offensive players in a bind constantly.

Even Kevin Porter Jr. of USC, who has a heck of a handle and should be a top 20 2019 NBA Draft selection, fell victim to Thybulle earlier this year here (per Professionalbasketballcombine.com’s Jon Chepkevich).

With his IQ and feel for off the ball, he could create runouts after stunting into the lane on opponent drives and he could still get hustle blocks after getting out to shooters pulling up both inside and outside the three-point arc.

I would imagine navigating through off-ball screens is something this guy could also pick up very quickly at the next level, too, and that’s something David Nwaba (if he returns next season, as he reportedly likely will) and Matthew Dellavedova can help Thybulle with, anyhow.

The next reason Cleveland should strongly consider Thybulle is his potential fit next to the “Young Bull.”