In recent weeks, as the Toronto Raptors have climbed out of the play-in tournament in the East and firmly into a playoff spot, there has been ample conversation about how potential opponents may be effected by the vaccination requirements for visitors to Canada.
The Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks have confirmed their entire teams are vaccinated and eligible to play, but the Celtics and Sixers would not comment publicly and with both making late season visits to Toronto, people were pouring over the injury report to see who wasn’t making the trip. For Boston, they kept a number of players home, including Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Tatum said prior to the season he was vaccinated, while Brown has not been willing to comment publicly on his status but stated recently that he is ready for any opponent in the playoffs, which some have taken as an indication he’ll be able to play.
While the mystery around who Boston potentially may be missing for road games in a series against the Raptors continues, we seemed to learn who the Sixers won’t have on Wednesday when the injury report came out and Matisse Thybulle was simply listed as “ineligible to play.”
Matisse Thybulle is listed on NBA injury report as "ineligible to play" tomorrow in Toronto.
— Noah Levick (@NoahLevick) April 6, 2022
Thybulle missed time earlier this season in league protocols and there’s a bit of confusion regarding whether he’s vaccinated or not, but it’s hard to imagine why he’d be listed as ineligible to play the Raptors for any other reason. He played in their December game in Toronto, but at that time there was a waiver for professional athletes to enter the country who were unvaccinated that was taken away in January.
Unless the Sixers provide an update to the contrary, it certainly seems like Philly will be without their defensive ace for road games in a potential series against Toronto. Thybulle’s absence may not be as disastrous as Joel Embiid, James Harden, or Tyrese Maxey, but he is one of the league’s best perimeter defenders and without him, Philadelphia will struggle to replace what he brings on that end of the floor. How Doc Rivers handles rotations for Thursday night’s game in Toronto might offer a clue as to what would happen should they meet in the postseason — which they would in the first round if the standings remain the same.
One also can’t help but wonder if Thybulle’s vaccination status played a role in Philly keeping him at the trade deadline rather than including him in the James Harden trade, as there were a number of reports that Brooklyn had been trying to acquire the skilled defender but if he is indeed unvaccinated, he would’ve been ineligible for home games alongside Kyrie Irving.
Source: https://uproxx.com/dimemag/matisse-thybulle-ineligible-toronto-sixers-vaccine-requirement-playoffs/
