📍PORTLAND, Ore. — Matisse Thybulle exited the Trail Blazers' Wednesday night win in Salt Lake City with a left thumb sprain after playing less than five minutes. Two days later, it was revealed that he will be out much longer than that.
On Friday, the team announced that Thybulle had suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in that left thumb, and underwent surgery this morning in Los Angeles. He will be re-evaluated in four to six weeks.
The thumb injury is the latest bad break for Thybulle in his tenure in Portland, coming after he missed most of last season with a severe ankle sprain. He missed Monday's win over the Los Angeles Lakers with right hip soreness but returned for the Jazz game, before hurting his thumb early in his first shift.
Thybulle was having a strong start to the season, especially on the defensive end, where he'd already racked up 10 steals through four games. After he went out, Tiago Splitter gave Rayan Rupert extended minutes in that backup wing spot, which will likely continue in the short term.
On the short end of Thybulle's four-to-six-week recovery timeline, he will miss the Blazers' next 12 games and will be out through the Thanksgiving holiday at the end of November. The good news is that a thumb injury won't prevent him from doing other workout activities to stay in shape, so there won't be the same kind of ramp-up there would be with a leg injury.
