Now in his eighth NBA season, Matisse Thybulle joined the Los Angeles Lakers as a career NBA reserve, as a defensive specialist meant to play in spurts and create chaos, as one more bit player in Hollywood.
So what happens to the former University of Washington guard after arriving in Tinseltown?
A lead role, of course.
Somewhat of a surprise, the 6-foot-5 veteran has been a Lakers starter through four games, three of which his new team has won.
Matisse Thybulle of the Lakers and formerly of the UW defends Clippers forward Rui Hachimura, the ex-Gonzaga standout. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Thybulle opens games with fellow 6-foot-5 guard Austin Reaves, playing in his sixth NBA season; forwards in 6-foot-8 Luka Doncic and 6-foot-9 Zaire Williams, in their ninth and sixth seasons, respectively; and 7-foot-2 center Walker Kessler, in his fifth season.
What's different for this one-time Husky is he's shown more ability to score, especially from 3-point range, where he's dropped in 8 of 19 shots so far. He changed his shot and the results have brought him more playing time.
"My shot has never been something I was confident in," Thybulle said this week. "It was always an insecurity of mine."
Against the crosstown Los Angeles Clippers, Thybulle dropped in 5 of 8 attempts, including 3 of 6 from behind the line, and finished with 13 points in a 125-117 victory.
He's a better long-range shooter because he changed his approach to a "no-dip" 3-pointer, whereas he catches the pass and immediately shoots it from his chest or above his head without dropping the ball down around his waist. He often goes through pregame shooting launching the ball one-handed.
Huskies guard Matisse Thybulle (4) blocks a shot from North Carolina's Luke Maye (32) in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. | USA TODAY Sports
"There are less variables," he said. "When you catch a no-dip shot, you're under the ball, you have to fully extend. Whereas when you catch a regular pass, dip the ball down sometimes, you catch it across your body, you bring it over. Gotta make sure your legs are under you. There's just more pieces to it.Luke and Austin throw such good passes that if I put my hands up, I'm literally catching it in my shooting pocket and I can just finish it through."
Previously playing for the Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers, Thybulle had just one season with each team where he started more games over coming off the bench. His shooting always limited him.
During the 2021-22 campaign for Philly, he opened 50 of 66 games and, the following season, he opened 22 of 22 games for the Trail Blazers following a midseason trade.
Last season with Portland, Thybulle appeared in 30 games with no starts before a thumb injury ended his season.
This past July, he went looking for a fresh start and signed a one-year $3.3 million contract with the Lakers as a free agent and presumably as that defensive specialist known for coming up with steals and blocks.
However, the L.A. franchise saw a bigger role for Thybulle, who has fully embraced this new opportunity. And his new shot.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/washington as Ex-Husky Thybulle Changes His Shot, Increases His Role in LA .
