Trail Blazers News: Matisse Thybulle Survives First Round of Cuts For National Team

Thybulle is hoping to compete at the Paris Olympics this summer.

Mar 6, 2024; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Matisse Thybulle (4) / Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Portland Trail Blazers swingman Matisse Thybulle is still alive in the race to make Team Australia's final 12-man roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics after a wave of cuts, according to a club press release.

Thybulle, alongside all the other NBA players current on the club (Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey, Orlando Magic forward Joe Ingles, Miami Heat guard Patty Mills, Dallas Mavericks guard Dante Exum and New Orleans Pelicans guard Dyson Daniels), remains with the Boomers even after the team trimmed its roster from 22 players to 17. A possible 2024 NBA first round draft pick, Kansas Jayhawks wing Johnny Furphy, was not so lucky.

Thybulle, who was born in Arizona and went to high school in Washington, is a dual citizen of the United States and Australia, hence his ability to play for Team Australia. Thybulle was on the program's bronze medal-winning roster for the "2020 Tokyo Olympics" (held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). The team, led by Mills' 42 points, surprisingly bested Luka Doncic's Team Slovenia in the bronze medal game. Thybulle, a two-time All-Defensive Teamer in the NBA, was a major force on that end with the team last time. It seems likely he'll make the 12-man roster, though nothing is guaranteed.

Team Australia intends to carry the 17 players through to its summer training camp, where it will make a final determination on its roster.

During his first full season in Portland (and second overall), Thybulle's offensive limitations restricted him to a reserve role (for the most part). He averaged a modest 5.4 points on .397/.346/.759 shooting splits, 2.1 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 1.4 assists, and 0.8 blocks across 65 healthy contests (19 starts), in 22.9 minutes per.

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