Andrew Bogut: Defensive beast Matisse Thybulle holds the key to stopping Kevin Durant and Team USA

If the Boomers are going to upset the Dream Team, they’ll need to quell Kevin Durant. Andrew Bogut breaks down how the US superstar can be stopped.

Matisse Thybulle has been a key figure in the Boomers’ Tokyo run. Picture: Getty Images

For the Boomers to create history and beat Team USA, Matisse Thybulle must produce the performance of a lifetime guarding superstar Kevin Durant.

Let’s get straight to the point, to defeat the Americans you need to shut down one of the world’s best scorers in Durant.

You must limit his production and make life hard for him. He is going to score at times regardless, but Thybulle is more than capable of keeping him quiet.

The Sydney-raised small forward has been sensational for the Boomers at both ends of the floor, but it’s defensively where he really shines.

Matisse Thybulle has been a key figure in the Boomers’ Tokyo run. Picture: Getty Images

I think Thybulle is the best defender in the Olympics. And that is including France’s three-time NBA defensive player of the year Rudy Gobert.

It’s why Thybulle will be given the assignment of containing Durant for long stretches.

Durant usually is the end of the offence when things break down offensively for the US, and what a luxury that is to have when the USA team have some offensive lulls.

I’m anticipating that Thybulle will be checking into this game against the US pretty early with an emphasis on making life really hard for Durant.

Matisse is our clear-cut best defender. His steals are one thing, but it’s also the way he continually smoothers whoever he is guarding on every possession.

He is very smart, athletic, and long that when he makes a mistake, he can recover to it and get a deflection or a steal that most defenders shouldn’t be able to get to.

Thybulle is a massive problem defensively, as Argentina found out … Picture: Getty Images

… and Germany. Picture: AFP

Durant still might have 25 points, but you want that 25 to be on a bad shooting clip.

Then you add in Thybulle’s offence, which has been more than anyone would have thought.

He is an average three-point shooter at best in the NBA, but he is an elite three-point shooter in the Olympics from the shorter FIBA line.

That extra step for him has just been money and he is knocking them down. He is also getting out in the break with his athleticism. His offensive game has a been a much needed, and welcomed surprise.

But I’m really interested to see who starts on Durant. I think Nick Kay will most likely get that opportunity.

It is a really tough match up for anyone, but it is probably a tougher one for Kay because KD is bigger, quicker, has length and is one of the best scorers in the world.

So, if Kay does an above average job on KD to start the game, we’ll have a good chance of winning. Nick will play the percentages and make KD take shots that scouting reports says are his ‘least’ effective.

Nick Kay will probably get first crack at the unenviable job of guarding Kevin Durant, Bogut says. Picture: Getty Images

Defensively things will stay the same. I think there will times when we will probably have to run at KD and double to get the ball out of his hands, but the key in this will be Thybulle staying out of foul trouble.

He has been in foul trouble pretty much every game against no one that can play the way that KD has, so that will be the key on the defensive end.

The Boomers as a team need to continue what they’ve been doing, especially defensively.

You don’t want to change things too much, aside from a few minor tweaks.

My main worry in this game is that we play a similar style to the USA, where we switch one through to five on the defensive end. Offensively we move the ball more than the US, but it’s similar with a lot of mid-pick and roll and early shots in transition.

And that pace of game is probably more suited to the Americans because they want to get in that up and down one-on-one style of play.

So, it will be interesting to see if we continue our style or do, we tweak it a little bit?

But the argument against myself is that you would be silly to change anything considering the way we are playing. It’s why I don’t think we’ll see dramatic changes and the line-up will stay relatively the same.

The Aussies must contain Kevin Durant to be any hope of beating Team USA. Picture: AFP

But I will emphasise again, we need to be careful on the offensive end that we don’t get lulled into that US up and down, open gym scrimmage style of basketball.

We had a four-minute spurt against Argentina when both teams played that way early in the second half. It was just four minutes of up and down with no real method to the madness, and there the lulls you need to be careful of.

We only had a small lull against Argentina, and it didn’t cost us, but there are times when it happens to us in games and that is where the US can get on top of you talent wise.

Whereas, if we get it through the hands and move the ball well, and really punish them on the offensive end where we don’t rush things, that is probably the small tweak at times that we’ll need to engage in.

The other positive is that this match up against the US is better from a rebound perspective compared to playing Spain.

The Americans don’t crash many guys on the boards. Watching their games, they are one and done for the most part. Bam Adebayo works the boards a little bit, and so does Draymond Green, but most of their guys are perimeter orientated players that go on iso ball and try and get buckets that way.

Guard Jrue Holiday looked like he was crashing the boards more than their bigs at times in their last game against Spain.

So, I don’t think the boards are really going to be a factor, but if it becomes a factor, it could cost us.

We have to win the hustle points; we have to win the rebound count and we just can’t turn over the ball.

We can’t give the US second chance opportunities.

The Aussies will need Patty Mills to continue to be Boomer Patty. Picture: Getty Images

It’s the same things that I’ve harped on for the whole tournament. When we out-rebound teams and don’t turn the ball over, we are generally in a pretty good position.

The Boomers will also need everyone to contribute again, which suits because there is no clear-cut MVP in this team. Everyone will look at Patty because he is shooting the ball so well and he is our go-to guy when we need a bucket, but when you look at what Jock Landale, Nick Kay and Matisse have also done, they are arguably just as important as Patty.

Landale and Kay have really stepped up and carried the load without Aron Baynes.

It’s also good to see that legacy from the 2019 World Cup that was built under Andrej Lemanis carry on to 2021, including the addition of a couple of key pieces like Thybulle and Dante Exum.

Look, you have to beat the best to get through. And Patty is right, you don’t want to celebrate a semi-final.

Those days are in the rear view where that would be an achievement.

You’d rather have this US game now – and hopefully it leads to a shot at a gold medal and not a bronze.

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Originally published as Andrew Bogut: Defensive beast Matisse Thybulle holds the key to stopping Kevin Durant and Team USA