Trade & FA 2024-25:

[dirkfansince1998]

Here's a question maybe one of you Thybulle truthers can help me with, and I'm hoping to hear from someone who watches and appreciates him as a player, not just some type of stats-based argument:

Setting aside the obvious elephant in the room (his offense), if Thybulle is SO impactful as a defender, why doesn't anyone ever talk about him? I mean, think about all the talk there is from analysts, everyone from the idiot-Steven A level all the way to guys like Redick, about guys like Dillon Brooks, Lu Dort, Marcus Smart, Jrue Holiday, etc...why does Thybulle NEVER seem to get brought up in those conversations? He's not overly young or unknown. Hell, he doesn't even get mentioned as much as Ntilikina used to be.

I mean that question genuinely, not in some sarcastic, leading way. I'm really interested in hearing from an actual fan of him as a player, not someone who's just a fan of him through advanced stats. Sometimes, there are people in both of those camps, so I don't mean to imply anything uncool, just to clarify the type of analysis I'm interested in learning on this topic. I mean, even his own national team made him play behind Josh Green last summer. I get that the rules make international play even MORE offensive leaning than the NBA, but, still. I wonder if this isn't a case of "greener grass over there" when it comes to Thybulle's defense. I buy that he's a good defender, just not sure I can get to where some people's opinions of his D seem to live.

He made two all-defense teams in the past so media/players/fans clearly recognized his impact. Problem is that come playoff time things in Philly fall apart and everyone not named Embiid ends up in the scapegoat conversation (this year it is Tobias Harris turn). Thybulle played a minor role in all of this but in the end Philly traded him instead of extending/resigning him at the end of his rookie contract.
He ended up on a tanking team in Portland. Not the kind of place where defensive minded role players earn individual accolades. And to make things worse he isn't getting a lot of minutes because a) Blazers are trying to develop younger guys b) his minutes hurt the tank. They actually shut him down in mid march. He did not play in the last 15 games of the season.