How Matisse Thybulle’s Feeling After Returning vs. Hawks

Matisse Thybulle returned to the court on Monday night after a three-game absence.

When the Philadelphia 76ers fired up the 2022-2023 season, the defensive standout Matisse Thybulle wasn’t seeing much playing time early on. 

Through the Sixers’ first four games, Thybulle appeared on the court for a little over five minutes total. Then in an October 26 matchup against the Toronto Raptors, Thybulle didn’t play at all.

Knowing they needed a bump on defense, Doc Rivers expanded his team’s rotation. Thybulle then became the perfect candidate to see the floor more as he’s established himself as one of the NBA’s best perimeter defenders over the last couple of years.

For nine games, Thybulle averaged 18 minutes on the court and even logged three starts. Then after a 27-minute shift against the Utah Jazz, Thybulle’s playing time dwindled. A lack of minutes through a three-game stretch following a five-day break didn’t come as a surprise.

Not only did Thybulle leave the November 13 matchup against Utah to get his ankle checked out before finishing the game, but he also missed every practice that took place between the Jazz matchup and the rematch against the Milwaukee Bucks.

“It’s been happening for like three or four games prior to that,” Thybulle revealed on Monday night, discussing when his injury surfaced. “When I would sub-out, I would go out and come back [to the locker room], we would do what we could, go out and try again.”

The Sixers allowed Thybulle to play in small spurts for the matchups against the Bucks, Timberwolves, and Nets. Those runs were treated as trial and error. If Thybulle’s ankle responded well, he could potentially pick up more minutes as the games went on. If not, he would be shut down for the remainder of the game.

“There was a couple of games of just playing three minutes,” Thybulle explained. “I couldn’t do it.”

Ahead of the Charlotte Hornets matchup last Wednesday, the Sixers ruled out Thybulle due to Tenosynovitis in his left ankle. His absence lasted three-straight games. On Monday, Thybulle was cleared for action after entering the matchup questionable.

Coming off the bench for multiple low-minute scenarios, Thybulle clocked in for a little under eight minutes on Monday, with four minutes total in the first half and three minutes in the fourth quarter. It was another low-minute outing for Thybulle, but the young veteran felt that was more than enough time as he eases back into the swing of things.

“I only played seven minutes?” A surprised Thybulle asked. “Whatever it was, it was the perfect amount. It felt like a lot more than seven minutes.”

Cardio-wise, Thybulle has a lot of work to do, considering he’s been playing low minutes and hasn’t practiced much when the team held sessions. As for his ankle, that felt fine.

“The ankle held up pretty well,” he finished. “Just cardio, getting back into game shape essentially.”

Thybulle finished his first game back as a plus-12 in seven minutes. He went 2-2 from the field, scoring four points on offense. Defensively, Thybulle snagged a steal and was an important presence — especially down the stretch of the matchup. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.