Detroit Pistons: Not much to steal in restricted free agency

Detroit Pistons: A wing defender on the cheap

Matisse Thybulle

Thybulle is a guy I have lobbied for a few times even though he has obvious flaws as a player, namely that he has no offense to speak of.

But he is a two-time All-Defensive player and the Detroit Pistons have the worst defense in team history, so it’s safe to say they could use one of those, even if he can’t score.

It’s also possible that Thybulle was just buried on a good Philly team and could be a more productive player in the right situation. The sample size is obviously tiny, but he’s been very good since being traded to Portland, averaging 8.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists for the Trail Blazers in over 30 minutes per game.

He’s also adding two steals and 1.4 blocks per game in that time while shooting 45.9 percent from 3-point range on 4.6 attempts per game. Obviously, those shooting numbers aren’t going to hold up over a whole season, but it’s possible that Thybulle may just need a regular full-time role to reach his potential.

We know he can defend, so even if his shooting falls off, Thybulle would be valuable to a team that has little team defense. Portland is going to be strapped for money this offseason, especially if they want to retain Jerami Grant, so the Pistons could probably steal Thybulle in restricted free agency without breaking the bank.