Matisse Thybulle Details His Unique Shooting Routine Amidst Improved Performance

Los Angeles Lakers wing Matisse Thybulle has revamped his shooting form and incorporated a distinctive pregame routine, which he credits for his improved performance on the court. This change in approach began during his tenure with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Thybulle's routine includes practicing "no-dip" 3-pointers, where the ball is shot immediately upon catching, and one-handed 3-pointers. These drills stem from rehabilitation work done with Trail Blazers shooting coach John Townsend during the 2024-25 season, a period during which Thybulle was recovering from knee surgery and an ankle sprain that kept him sidelined for much of the season.

"My shot has never been something I was confident in," Thybulle told the California Post. "It was always an insecurity of mine." The primary adjustments to his shot involved moving his shooting arm further to the side and tucking his elbow in. Townsend's guidance during Thybulle's rehab, which sometimes required "platform shooting" without a full jump, contributed to these modifications.

"And then I started to notice some differences," Thybulle recalled. "I was probably like a month out of being able to play again. And he’s like, ‘Well, you kind of have to decide now: Do you want to change your shot and stick to it and you can’t go back? Or keep shooting the way you’ve been shooting?’ I was like, ‘But I want to change it.’ So then we just decided to just stick with the changes that we were doing, trust the work and not really worry too much about the results for a little bit."

The modifications appear to be yielding positive results. After shooting 34.6% from three-point range in the 2023-24 season, Thybulle's percentage improved to 43.8% in 15 games in 2024-25, and 39.8% in 30 games in 2025-26. Entering a recent game, he was shooting 46.7% from deep.

The no-dip and one-handed drills are designed to help Thybulle maintain his modified shooting form. "It was a huge foundational piece of just having my hand under the ball next to my head and then shooting through it," he explained. "And it became something that we would go back to a lot if my shot started to float around or I wasn’t shooting the way I wanted to."

Thybulle has incorporated the no-dip shot into game situations, taking several with the Blazers last season and making his first with the Lakers in a preseason game on Oct. 8 against the Kings. He converted his first regular-season no-dip 3 during the third quarter of a recent win over the Utah Jazz.

He views the no-dip shot not as an unconventional attempt, but as part of his "shot archetype and shot package." Thybulle prefers it at times, noting fewer variables compared to a traditional catch-and-shoot. "When you catch a no-dip shot, you’re under the ball, you have to fully extend. Whereas when you catch a regular pass, dip the ball down sometimes, you catch it across your body, you bring it over. Gotta make sure your legs are under you. There’s just more pieces to it."

While he does not shoot one-handed 3s in games, Thybulle finds the drill crucial for reinforcing proper form. "A bad habit I have in mind is my elbow gets out from underneath the ball," he stated. "If you try to do that with one hand, you’re going to drop the ball. You can’t hold it. So it really forces you to be underneath the basketball. And then, you bring another hand and the carryover is really helpful."

Ultimately, these unconventional drills are about building a strong foundation, both physically and mentally. "It takes a level of confidence and not caring to shoot those shots in public," Thybulle said. "Because I’ll shoot one-handed shots to this day and just airball them. It’s the reason people shoot with two hands — it’s a hard shot. For me, the willingness to shoot through those embarrassing moments and trust that this is something that helps me and can guide me to the way I want to shoot, that to me, more than anything… one part physical, another part mental. Just like getting that voice in your head that tells you like shoot the regular way so that you can make it. ‘Cause if you do it this way, you might miss and it’s going to be embarrassing. Just like free yourself of that and just like trust the process."