Three Normal Things: Sixers Vs. Suns
Three Normal Things
Adam Aaronson, whose legal name is Sixers Adam (@SixersAdam on Twitter), covers the Sixers for The Rights To Ricky Sanchez. He has been legally banned from covering the team in person, and when that ban was set to be lifted, Covid-19 struck. He believes cantaloupe is the best food in existence, and is brought to you by the Official Realtor of The Process, Adam Ksebe.
Welcome back to Three Normal Things following Sixers-Suns, also known as The Dario Return Game.
#1: An ode to a fantastic Phoenix Suns team
Before this game started, I made a decision -- no matter what, I must honor the season this Suns team has had. So, here we go.
The Suns have been far and away my favorite NBA team to watch this season. As a longtime Chris Paul admirer, I always root for his teams to succeed. But this extends beyond that. From the top of their roster to the bottom, this is a team filled with versatile and exciting and young talent. From our old friend Dario Saric to our other old friend Mikal Bridges and everywhere in between, the Suns are stacked with positive-impact two-way players.
Former Sixers assistant coach Monty Williams has done an excellent job in Phoenix, developing an extremely cohesive bunch that has thrived all year long and is cementing itself as a genuine contender to make a deep playoff run.
[Takes a deep breath] Now, we can talk about the Sixers.
#2: Tyrese Maxey continues to shine
Tyrese Maxey has had a few strong performances of late, and he built on those successes tonight. Maxey asserted himself early on, using his speed and explosiveness to get to the rim and create advantages at will.
We’ve long known Maxey to be an excellent athlete, but recently it seems as if he’s applying it to his game better than he has in his NBA career to date. When Maxey is going downhill to the rim, it’s almost unstoppable to stay in front of him.
On Monday night, I wrote about Shake Milton’s struggles, which continued tonight. How far away are we from asking if Maxey should play over Shake?
#3: Matisse Thybulle’s Reign of Terror
Thybulle got another spot start as a result of injuries, and boy did he prove he deserved it. Thybulle’s defense of late has been, dare I say, the best stretch on that end that he has had since coming to Philadelphia. At this point, it doesn’t even feel extreme to say that he is deserving of All-Defense consideration with the way he has hounded opposing offenses. Tonight, most of Thybulle’s time came against Devin Booker, who he did an excellent job defending.Â
Right now, Thybulle is an absolute game-changer because of his defense. If he continues to rapidly improve on that end, there’s just nothing opposing teams can do -- he will continue to terrorize the opposition with his hands, his length, his intellect and his instincts.