Matisse Thybulle looked like a defensive phenom to open his rookie season for the Philadelphia 76ers. He averaged 2.8 steals and 1.4 blocks (4.9 and 2.4 per 36 minutes) over his first five games while playing 20.7 minutes a night. He was leading the league in steals. Even for a small handful of games, such eye-popping numbers instantly gained Thybulle plenty of attention.
After 17 games, his average of 3.7 steals per 36 minutes leads the NBA (among players with at least 75 minutes played). He’s adding 1.9 blocks in the same time frame for good measure.