3 Sixers Land on the 2020-2021 NBA All-Defensive Teams

Luke Arcaini
June 14, 2021
Sixers
2 Comments

Defense wins championships, something we’ve been saying all year. All-defensive teams feature the best defensive players in the world and the Sixers have three out of 10 available players receiving honors this year. Ben Simmons has officially been named first team all defense for the second year in a row. Joel Embiid has been named to second team all defense for the third time in his career, with previous awards coming in the 17-18 and 18-19 season. Matisse Thybulle, has been awarded with second team all defense for the first time in his career. It is the first time the Sixers have 3 players selected to win the All-Defense honors since the 1982-83 season.

All three of these players have been outstanding on defense throughout their whole careers, and the awards are finally here to show it. Ben Simmons guarding 1-5 on a nightly basis, the elite rim protection by Joel Embiid, and the quick and flashy defense from Matisse Thybulle all around the court secured these spots. If you have watched the Sixers this year, then you are well aware of the lockdown defense that Simmons, Embiid, and Thybulle have played all year. It’s been the backbone of the team, and something that they can rely on night in and night out.

PLAYER	Defensive Rebound %	Steals	Blocks
Ben Simmons	5.6 DRB	1.6 STL	0.6 BLK
Matisse Thybulle	1.4 DRB	1.6 STL	1.1 BLK
Joel Embiid	8.4 DRB	1.0 STL	1.4 BLK

With 10 defenders making up two teams, the Sixers have 30% of the NBA’s all defensive units. If that doesn’t show you how valuable defense has been to this team this year, then I just can’t help you. We already watched Simmons and Embiid get snubbed for DPOY and MVP Awards, and Tobias Harris get snubbed for an All-Star selection. Seeing the trio of Simmons, Embiid, and Thybulle finally get honored appropriately is refreshing.

The same defense that has been locking up teams all year looks to do the same thing tonight, as they take on the Atlanta Hawks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

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