Matisse Thybulle’s spot on the Trail Blazers was in serious jeopardy at the trade deadline. Sidy Cissoko and Caleb Love were putting pressure on the front office to clear space for them on the 15-man roster, and Thybulle’s lack of availability made him a prime candidate to be sacrificed.
Portland ultimately chose to keep the veteran wing around, though, and now he’s making them look genius for doing so as the playoffs approach.
Matisse Thybulle is giving the Blazers exactly what they need
Thybulle is in his seventh NBA season, so at this point, he’s a proven commodity. When he’s healthy, he’s an impact role player, but his health has been a big “if” throughout his career. Since the trade deadline, however, he’s been consistently active, and it’s allowed him to remind the Blazers and the league as a whole what he’s capable of.
The Australian sits in the league-wide pantheon of defensive disruptors. He doesn’t have two All-Defensive awards to his name for no reason. Thybulle’s ability to anticipate passes, poke out back-tap steals, and block jumpshots is uncanny. The difference he makes on defense has enhanced what was already a strength for Portland.
Since the trade deadline, the Blazers have the sixth-best defensive rating in the NBA. Thybulle ranks first on the team in Basketball Reference’s defensive box plus/minus, first in steal percentage, and third in block percentage. He’s been nothing short of an instrumental cog in Portland’s elite fortification. He won’t finish with nearly enough games played to qualify for postseason awards, but if he had hit that 65-game mark, he would have a strong argument for another All-Defensive honor.
What’s made Thybulle extra impactful for the Blazers as of late is his three-point shooting. His shot has been a bit wishy-washy historically, but he’s starting to solidify it as a real weapon. At the very least, defenders have to think twice about leaving him open, which hasn’t always been the case. He’s shooting 40.3% from deep this season on 9.3 attempts per 100 possessions, the highest volume of his career. For context, that attempt rate puts him right in line with established shooters like Jerami Grant, Aaron Wiggins, Max Christie, and Cam Spencer.
All in all, Thybulle’s defensive dynamism and improving offensive utility have made him invaluable for the Blazers down the stretch this season. His importance will only heighten in the play-in and the playoffs, too, if Portland makes it, as he’s one of the few key veterans on the team with past postseason experience.
Thybulle will be a free agent this summer, and he’s setting himself up to be a priority retention for the Blazers. That’s a conversation for later, though. For now, he and his team are focused on the postseason ahead.