Joel Embiid Offers Thoughts on Matisse Thybulle's Recent Comments
As a well-known supporter of Matisse Thybulle, Joel Embiid didn’t want to see his teammate re-locate ahead of the trade deadline back in February. Following a loss against the Boston Celtics, the Philadelphia 76ers’ big man sent a clear message to the public.
“Personally, I would love to have him. I think he’s one of our better defenders, especially on the perimeter,” Embiid told The Philadelphia Inquirer’s, Keith Pompey. “We don’t have a lot of guys that cause steals or blocks, and all that stuff, extra possessions. That takes extra possessions from the other teams. He’s someone that fits on every NBA team based on his defensive skill set. I think he helps us a lot. But then again, I don’t make the decisions.”
The rumors going around in the weeks leading up to the deadline made it seem as if Thybulle was certainly on his way out. A couple of hours before the NBA capped any further deals between teams, Thybulle was involved in a four-team trade that sent him packing to join the Portland Trail Blazers.
Ten games later, Thybulle was back in South Philly for the first time to face his former team.
“I talked to him after the trade,” Embiid said after the Sixers, and the Blazers battled it out. “I loved him when he was here.”
Playing with Embiid throughout his entire professional career leading up to the trade, Thybulle grew close with the six-time All-Star. While Embiid remains supportive of his former teammate, he did admit that some comments he made recently didn’t sit well with him.
“I told him I was kind of unhappy with some of the comments that were made lately,” Embiid said. “It’s whatever. It’s hard. Playing in Philly is not easy. It’s a lot of pressure that comes with it. Every year you’re expected to win. Doesn’t matter if they believe that you have a good team or a good enough team to win a championship, that’s still the expectation. That’s why there are not a lot of people that can play here and survive here. Some guys have different mindsets. To some guys, it’s all about winning, and to some guys, it’s all about just playing basketball.”
On the morning of the Friday matchup, Thybulle described playing in Philadelphia as “fear-based,” which caused quite a stir amongst fans and apparently players too.
“Any player that’s playing out of a place of fear is going to struggle,” he said. “Like there’s going to just be friction in everything you try to do. But when you play for a place of just discipline and receptiveness to what the game’s giving and what you are reading from it. I think there’s a lot more opportunity.
"And for me, specifically, I feel like there was a lot more fear-based play in Philadelphia as opposed to what I’m doing here in Portland.” via The Philadelphia Inquirer
Similar to Embiid’s belief, some speculate that Thybulle was pointing to the pressure that players receive from the city, especially when times get tough.
Others believe that Thybulle was alluding to the idea that having a short leash can impact the way players perform.
During his time with the Sixers, Thybulle was generally viewed as a fan favorite. Since the young veteran didn't have a steady role in 2022-2023, averaging just 12 minutes per game as his playing time fluctuated, the "fear-based" mentality he spoke of was likely linked to the thought of the former first-rounder losing his spot in the rotation, rather than taking heat from spectators.
Embiid might've seen it differently, which made him unhappy. Either way, there are no hard feelings, as the big man hopes to see Thybulle succeed in Portland.
"Like I said, he was great when we had him here," Embiid finished. "I wish him well. I still believe that he has a lot of potential. It’s all about him putting the work in, especially shooting. And defensively, he’s a monster.”
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
