Injury news didn’t necessarily bring the warmest of holiday tidings for the Philadelphia 76ers.
The team announced on Sunday that reserve guard Matisse Thybulle is out indefinitely after suffering a sprained knee and a bone bruise.
He will be re-evaluated in two weeks before a tangible time frame for a return is established.
As a best-case scenario, the Sixers are looking at his earliest-possible return coming on Jan. 6 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Thybulle suffered the injury during the second half of Saturday’s victory over the Washington Wizards while contesting a shot at the rim.
While the numbers won’t necessarily suggest it on paper, Thybulle’s absence will leave a sizable void within the Sixers’ roster.
The 22-year-old rookie out of Washington was providing invaluable minutes off the bench behind Josh Richardson.
In 17.6 minutes per game, Thybulle is posting 4.8 points, 1.4 steals, and 1.2 assists. But those averages jump to 9.9 points, 2.9 steals, and 2.2 assists per 36 minutes.
He showed flashes of what he could do with some regular playing time two weeks ago when he put up 20 points in 31 minutes against the Toronto Raptors before dropping 13 in 26 two nights later against the Denver Nuggets.
Now confronting Thybulle’s extended absence, the Sixers are expected to re-work Furkan Korkmaz into the mix as Richardson’s main backup. The 22-year-old is posting 7.8 points per game while shooting 37.8-percent from three-point range this season.
To fill Thybulle’s spot on the roster, the 76ers could look toward the G-League for depth.
Zhaire Smith and Shake Milton become immediate options.
Smith — 16th overall by the Suns in 2018 — appeared in six games with the Sixers last year, posting 6.7 points per game and a 37.5-percent three-point shooting rate.
The problem is that he’s struggled with Philadelphia’s G-League affiliate in Delaware. Smith is shooting 29.7-percent from three-point range while posting 13.5 points per game.
Milton provides a more logical choice seeing as he’s already spent time with the Sixers this season — albeit it was a difficult and limited nine games.
He’s performing much better than Smith in the G-League, however, averaging 21 points per game while shooting 45.5-percent from three.
