Matisse Thybulle Back to Practice, Could Return vs. Celtics

It's been over two weeks since Philadelphia 76ers rookie Matisse Thybulle has stepped foot on the court. Despite having what some would call a phenomenal start to his rookie season with the Sixers, Thybulle quickly found out that accidental contact in the NBA can lead to much more than slight pain.

A bruised knee for Thybulle has had him sidelined for weeks now. With an initial timetable set for two weeks until re-evaluation, Thybulle is eagerly waiting to get back out onto the court. However, after getting his knee checked out on Sunday, the rookie wouldn't get the positive news he wanted.

Although the Sixers haven't issued a set timetable just yet, Thybulle's return is still on hold for now. At the very least, though, it could be coming quite soon. As of late, Thybulle has managed to get a little bit of practice here and there with shootarounds. The rookie wasn't cleared for any contact before Sunday's practice.

He wasn't a full participant yet, and even missed Monday's game against the Thunder. At this point, though, Thybulle is beginning to make leaps and bounds in his recovery as he hit another milestone on Tuesday afternoon.

For the first time in weeks, the Sixers have allowed the rookie guard to fully participate in practice. When will he get back to the court for a game, though? That's still unclear. With a practice scheduled for Wednesday, the Sixers intend to have Thybulle available as a full participant once again, barring any setbacks.

Depending on how he feels following Wednesday's practice, the rookie could be considered to return for Thursday's game against the Boston Celtics, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia's Serena Winters.

While it seems like a longshot Thybulle returns that quickly after missing some significant time, it definitely feels like there's a good chance the rookie's debut season could resume against Boston -- and the timing couldn't be any better.