Joel Embiid: 'I Kinda Was Not Happy' with Matisse Thybulle's Comments on 76ers Trade

Following Friday's 120-119 home win over the Portland Trail Blazers, Philadelphia 76ers All-Star center Joel Embiid divulged that he spoke with former teammate Matisse Thybulle about some of the comments he has made regarding the Sixers since getting traded to Portland.

Prior to Friday's game, Thybulle spoke with Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (h/t Ky Carlin of SixersWire) and provided his thoughts on the difference between playing for the Blazers and 76ers:

"Any player that's playing out of a place of fear is going to struggle. 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."

Per Carlin, Embiid said after the game that he wasn't pleased with some of the comments, and he also suggested that Philly is a tough environment not every player can thrive in:

"I loved him when he was here. I kinda told him I kinda was not happy with some of the comments that was made lately, but it's whatever.

"Playing in Philly is not easy. It's a lot of pressure that comes with it. Every year, you're expected to win. It doesn't even matter if they believe that you have a good team or a good enough team to win a championship. That's the expectations and that's why there's not a lot of people that can play here and survive here."

Thybulle was the No. 20 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft, and while his offensive game hasn't really developed, he established himself as a top-flight defender during his time with the 76ers.

In his three full seasons in Philly, Thybulle was twice chosen as a second-team NBA All-Defensive selection, including last season when he set career highs with 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.

Thybulle also played a career-high 25.5 minutes per game last season, but his playing dropped sharply this season, leading to the trade.

Averaging just 12.1 minutes in 49 games for the Sixers this season, Thybulle's production dipped to 2.7 points, 1.3 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 0.3 blocks per contest.

Since getting sent to Portland last month as part of a four-team trade that yielded the 76ers forward Jalen McDaniels, Thybulle has found new life.

Thybulle has started all 11 games he has played in during his Trail Blazers tenure, averaging 7.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.7 three-pointers made and 1.1 blocks in 29.4 minutes per game.

All of those numbers would be career bests for Thybulle extrapolated over the course of a full season.

While Thybulle went from playing for one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference to a team 1.5 games out of a postseason play-in spot in the Western Conference, he is finally hitting his stride and reaching his potential again as an NBA player.

Thybulle's frustration with the 76ers is understandable given how things went for him this season, but Embiid's defense of the organization and city also makes sense because of the fact that he has embraced the role of being the face of the franchise.