Many Trail Blazers fans were likely disappointed to see Matisse Thybulle leaving Portland to join the Los Angeles Lakers via free agency.
The veteran Thybulle had established himself as an important bench piece and a fan favorite, in Rip City. Sure, there were concerns with his shooting and (lack of) availability, but it felt like Portland should’ve kept him around.
Now, in his absence, the team will be turning to Vit Krejci to step up and be a better contributor off the bench. Krejci was a bit of a letdown in his first stint with the Blazers last season, so the pressure is now on for him to prove his worth.
Vit Krejci just became a lot more important for the Trail Blazers
Portland’s roster has quickly become overrun with guards. They must figure out their wing depth, and Thybulle is no longer an option to plug the hole. The open market is thin at this point in the offseason (Ochai Agbaji or Lindy Waters III, anyone?), so the Blazers will have to work out an in-house solution. That’s where Vit Krejci comes in.
Krejci was brought in at the 2026 trade deadline, and Portland caught some flak for him being their marquee acquisition. Unfortunately, he didn’t exactly snuff out the doubters. His usually fiery shooting went ice cold down the stretch, and he gradually lost minutes until he was completely out of the rotation come playoff time.
Luckily, Krejci wasn’t essential at all to the team last year, although having a perimeter threat like him to call on in the postseason would’ve been handy. However, things will be different in 2026-27. As things stand, the 26-year-old will be leaned on heavily as a backup wing. Portland needs Krejci to be better.
Krejci might be the rotation wing Portland needs
At his best, Krejci is a lethal movement sniper who makes good decisions as a connector and holds up defensively. He’s the type of role player Ja Morant, Damian Lillard, and Deni Avdija need alongside them.
His dropoff last spring was scary, but hope shouldn’t be completely lost yet. The larger sample size says Krejci is unquestionably a trusty marksman. How many shots he hits is the key to his impact, so Portland will be counting on a regression to the mean and for him to look more like his Atlanta self next season.
If Krejci can’t stay on the floor, it’s tough to say right now who else the Blazers will be able to trust as a backup at his position. Sidy Cissoko isn’t a clean fit with the rest of the roster.
So, here’s hoping Heat Czech looks like a walking heat check once again in 2026-27.
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