Winning a championship in the NBA means more than just putting the ball in the basket. It also entails guys to play terrific defense until the job is done. For the Milwaukee Bucks, though, they can make that happen on the court if they succeed in getting Matisse Thybulle from the Portland Trail Blazers.
During the 2022-23 season, Milwaukee’s defense was nothing to be scoffed at. In fact, they placed fourth among 30 teams in the league during that period. With guys like All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen, Serge Ibaka, Bobby Portis, and Jae Crowder, opposing teams didn’t have it easy when they tried to score on the Bucks from the wing or inside the paint.
This season, though, is a different story. From boasting a top-four defense, the team is now 19th in the NBA. Apart from losing Holiday, Allen, and Ibaka, Crowder isn’t the same defender he is from years past and Antetokounmpo can only do so much on the court. Plus, replacing Holiday with All-Star guard Damian Lillard made Milwaukee’s backcourt more susceptible to opposing offenses.
Even though veteran guard Patrick Beverley arrived during the trade deadline, the updated lineup was still no match against Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers. Due to their mediocre defense, Milwaukee will have to upgrade in that area if they want to change their fortunes on the court.
Portland Trail Blazers’ Matisse Thybulle Projected To Be Among Milwaukee Bucks’ Top Trade Targets
Improving on defense is no easy feat, especially for a Milwaukee team strapped with expensive stars. Thybulle presents a realistic solution to this predicament, as written by Zach Buckely for Bleacher Report:
“A defensive playmaker like Matisse Thybulle would up their stinginess and hopefully help spark enough open-court opportunities to offset his offensive limitations in the half-court.
Now, there’s enough overlap between Thybulle and Bucks’ up-and-comers Andre Jackson Jr. and MarJon Beauchamp to wonder whether Thybulle could crack any bigger of a role than they have. But perhaps the perimeter progress he’s made over the past two seasons (1.0 threes per game at a 35.4 percent clip) could be enough to get him more floor time,” Buckley wrote.
Over the course of five seasons in the league, Thybulle averaged 4.8 points on 33 percent shooting from deep, 2.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He also boasts a 3.4 defensive box plus/minus rating, making him an effective player on that end of the court.
Thybulle still has two years left in his contract worth $22 million with a player option in the last year. If Milwaukee finds a way to acquire him via a trade, fans can expect their defense to improve with the wing in the lineup.
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