Philadelphia 76ers vs. Toronto Raptors: 3 big questions and a prediction

How big of an impact will the absence of Matisse Thybulle in Games 3, 4, and 6 have on the series?

At least for now, it appears that the Sixers will be without Matisse Thybulle for at least two games, and possibly three. He is not eligible to play in games in Toronto because of their vaccine restrictions. For a team that is not very deep at all, that could play a huge impact in road games for the Sixers.

The big question is, how much of an impact will his absence have on the team? On paper, it may not seem like a huge loss. After all, Thybulle is only averaging six points per game on 31 percent shooing from 3. However, considering he’s the team’s best perimeter defender on a team with not a ton of good defenders, you begin to understand the issue.

Thybulle will likely be asked to guard the opposing teams’ best perimeter scorer. Without him in Games 3, 4, and 6, it could pose a big problem for a team that ranked outside the top 10 in defensive rating during the regular season.