{"id":128946,"date":"2025-03-16T08:47:30","date_gmt":"2025-03-16T12:47:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=128946"},"modified":"2025-03-16T11:56:57","modified_gmt":"2025-03-16T15:56:57","slug":"matisse-thybulle-igrateful-for-blazers-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/03\/16\/matisse-thybulle-igrateful-for-blazers-return\/","title":{"rendered":"Matisse Thybulle Is Grateful For His Blazers Return"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Portland Trail Blazers are getting some of their injured players back, including a <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/thybuma01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Matisse Thybulle<\/a> comeback. This latest Blazers return has been a long time coming, considering Thybulle has not played a game this season. His comeback also means there is more depth in Portland\u2019s rotation.<\/p>\n<h2>Matisse Thybulle Is Grateful For His Blazers Return<\/h2>\n<p>Matisse Thybulle is finally back and active for Portland after not being active for 66 games. Before their close loss to the New York Knicks on Wednesday, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/03\/12\/portland-trail-blazers-matisse-thybulle-return-date-injury-confirmed\/\" target=\"_self\">all the fans in Portland knew Thybulle was returning<\/a>. He did not play in that game, but his next opportunity to do so is Sunday against the Toronto Raptors.<\/p>\n<p>This is a needed return for Portland because they have needed more veterans to guide the youngsters. Thybulle\u2019s return will be helpful to the overall team culture and of course, the Blazers&#8217; defense. <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/camarto01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Toumani Camara<\/a> has already become <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/02\/23\/toumani-camara-developing-hidden-gem\/\" target=\"_self\">one of the league&#8217;s best defenders<\/a>, but getting another elite stopper is great.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Welcome back, Matisse \ud83d\ude42 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/aTUJh86xmj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/aTUJh86xmj<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/trailblazers\/status\/1900004248005599323?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 13, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>\u00a0The Thybulle Comeback Benefits The Blazers<\/h3>\n<p>Missing almost the entire season has been rough for Thybulle. He is probably the most encouraging Blazers return from injury because it has been a tough few months for him. The 28-year-old has always been a positive presence cheering on the Portland rotation. However, he is a basketball player who wants to play and stay on the court.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Being able to be back to use my body how I&#8217;m used to. Calling it to do the things I&#8217;ve always I can do, that&#8217;s been nice. Obviously, being a basketball player again is great. It&#8217;s been tough to be a basketball player who can&#8217;t play basketball,&#8221; Thybulle <a  href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/SqXTkBPH3-M?si=rrLAHidrIyW-HmZ5&amp;t=20\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">said<\/a> during practice on Friday.<\/p>\n<p>Thybulle\u2019s return benefits the team because he fits head coach Chauncey Billups&#8217; system. Thybulle is a hard-nosed defender with a unique style of getting steals and weak-side blocks. With Camara and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/avdijde01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Deni Avdija<\/a> being strong defenders, adding another to the rotation is significant for the team.<\/p>\n<h3>An Interesting Shift In The Portland Rotation<\/h3>\n<p>Thybulle\u2019s return will force Billups to have to make an interesting decision. He already has a set wing rotation with <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/sharpsh01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shaedon Sharpe<\/a>, Avdija, Camara, and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/murrakr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kris Murray<\/a>. Adding Thybulle\u2019s to that rotation can be tricky, but Billups should find a way. He is notably a big fan of Thybulle&#8217;s game, so it will be interesting to look into.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Thybulle three 3\u2019s, 6 boards, 3 blocks 1 steal in 20 min. <\/p>\n<p> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/W2ckrYK2uH\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/W2ckrYK2uH<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; DaveEarly (@DavidEarly) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DavidEarly\/status\/1625349950585417728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 14, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>He will be a magnificent option when they must stop a perimeter player from getting hot. Thybulle can be a game-changing defender that Billups will deploy when needed. Thybulle still struggles on offense, but he has an arsenal that can be useful in many situations. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/01\/29\/deni-avdija-blazers-building-block\/\" target=\"_self\">Avdija&#8217;s rise<\/a> is good for Portland because Billups has plenty of options on the wing.<\/p>\n<h3>The Blazers Return That Can Help The Younger Players<\/h3>\n<p>Throughout his career, Thybulle has always been a thoughtful teammate. Players and fans from Philly loved Thybulle, and he has a similar reception in Rip City. He can improve the culture because of his positive attitude and impact on his peers. At 28, Thybulle is a veteran now, which is helpful to a young team like the Blazers.<\/p>\n<p>Young players like Sharpe, <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hendesc01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Scoot Henderson<\/a>, and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/clingdo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Donovan Clingan<\/a> need guidance. A player like Thybulle in Portland\u2019s rotation is a great asset. He can be one of the team&#8217;s leaders on the floor and in the locker room. Thybulle is a reliable and respected role player who can help players keep their head up.<\/p>\n<p>It has been a long time since Thybulle played a basketball game, but Thybulle coming back is great news. The Blazers have been waiting for this for a long time, and Rip City is glad he is back. Most of all, Thybulle is happy and healthy, the best news for any professional athlete.<\/p>\n<p>Photo credit: \u00a9 Soobum Im-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Portland Trail Blazers are getting some of their injured players back, including a Matisse Thybulle comeback. This latest Blazers return has been a long time coming, considering Thybulle has not played a game this season. His comeback also means there is more depth in Portland\u2019s rotation. Matisse Thybulle Is Grateful For His Blazers Return [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5385,"featured_media":128974,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,62,23],"tags":[115,2831,1963,4702,4600,49155],"class_list":["post-128946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-nba","category-trailblazers","tag-chauncey-billups","tag-deni-avdija","tag-matisse-thybulle","tag-scoot-henderson","tag-shaedon-sharpe","tag-toumani-camara"],"modified_by":"Eamon Cassels, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128946","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5385"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128946"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128946\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":128962,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128946\/revisions\/128962"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/128974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}