The Los Angeles Lakers prioritized adding perimeter defenders over the offseason, and that was clear with the free-agent signing of former All-Defensive wing Matisse Thybulle, who arrived on a one-year, veteran minimum contract.
However, before even playing a game for the Lakers, Thybulle’s injury history is putting his status in question for the upcoming season, according to a new report.
The 29-year-old has dealt with several major health concerns throughout his career, and heading into the new season with the Lakers, it looks as though the franchise is already preparing for Thybulle to miss time.
Lakers New All-Defensive Guard Could Miss Time With Injury Risk
Speaking on the latest episode of Buha’s Block, Lakers reporter for the California Post, Khobi Price, revealed that the team has a medical plan in place to keep Thybulle as healthy as possible for the upcoming year.
“They have a plan in place, and it’s up to them, but also him, to make sure they stay disciplined with that plan and don’t stray too far from it,” he said.
Thybulle played only 30 games last season with the Portland Trail Blazers, and just 15 games the year before that while dealing with a few major injuries. He played 65 games in 2023-24, but throughout his seven-year NBA career, that’s been right around the peak of his availability.
Even though Thybulle isn’t expected to be a starter or play a ton of minutes, the Lakers will need him to be healthy, specifically on the defensive end of the floor. He remains a top-tier defender, but has dropped off a bit since he made two All-Defensive teams at the start of his NBA journey with the Philadelphia 76ers.
“I’m not sure if he’s, at least as of right now in mid-October going into the start of the season, a guy that you even want to rely on to play starter minutes,” Price added. “Let alone, is he a guy that you may have to sit out on a back-to-back or in those three-in-fours?”
“Are you going to have to manage him throughout the season so you can get his best games in March, April, and possibly beyond?”
But in terms of an actual plan with specific minute restrictions and overall availability throughout the season, Price said he still didn’t get an exact answer from the new Lakers player.
“I asked – Matisse brought it up at media day – in terms of the Lakers having a good idea of what he needs from the medical side and having a plan in place,” he added. “I followed up with that at the shootaround in Vegas. He didn’t go into much detail about it, but it was basically like, they have a plan in place, and it’s up to them, but also him, to make sure they stay disciplined with that plan and don’t stray too far from it.”
Matisse Thybulle Is Now In Los Angeles
Though Thybulle hasn’t been playing at the same level he showed with the 76ers over the past few years with Portland, the Lakers getting him was big news.
The team struggled guarding the opposing team’s perimeter stars last year, and though Thybulle is expected to play backup minutes, he’ll likely be on some of the toughest defensive assignments in Los Angeles this season.
Speaking about adding the former All-Defensive wing, Lakers head coach JJ Redick praised the new addition.
“Matisse is such a unique player; he just really is. I think our guys, hopefully, at some point this season, will pick up on the fact that if he’s in the passing lane, you shouldn’t pass the ball over there because he’s probably going to steal it.“
“Matisse is such a unique player; he just really is,” Redick said. “I think our guys, hopefully, at some point this season, will pick up on the fact that if he’s in the passing lane, you shouldn’t pass the ball over there because he’s probably going to steal it.”
Additionally, Thybulle also said he was excited about playing for one of the most famous franchises in the NBA.
“I think it’s a special opportunity to play for such a historic franchise, an accomplished franchise,” he said.
For now, Thybulle is healthy, but as Price said, it looks like the Lakers are already preparing to minimize any potential injury risk. Availability has been the biggest concern through his career so far, and the team knows that.
Like some other players in the league, don’t expect Thybulle to be playing every game for the Lakers this season. They’ll need him healthy when the playoffs come around, so it looks like he’ll be on some sort of game or minute restriction even when he’s not dealing with an injury.
Lakers Get Bad News As All-Defensive Wing Already Set To Miss Time