Washington teammates Matisse Thybulle and Jaylen Nowell have taken different paths to Brooklyn, N.Y., and Thursday’s NBA draft.
Since claiming the Naismith defensive player of the year award at the NCAA tournament Final Four, Thybulle has been a virtual ghost the past two months.
The 6-foot-5 senior guard declined an invitation to the draft combine, avoided workouts with NBA teams and rebuffed media requests, which sparked league-wide speculation that he’s received a promise from a team in the first round.
Thybulle has reportedly been linked with teams at the bottom of the first round, including San Antonio, which has picks 19 and 29, Oklahoma City (No.