The Lakers signing Matisse Thybulle for the veteran's minimum β one year, $3.3 million β isn't the kind of move that trends nationally. No one's breaking into your group chat over it. But if you sat through last season watching this team get torched from three and lose foot races around ball screens, you already know why this one matters more than the price tag suggests.
Rob Pelinka just quietly patched a hole that's been bleeding points for two years.
The Defense Los Angeles Has Been Missing
Ever since the Luka DonΔiΔ trade, the Lakers' whole defensive personality has had to bend around building the best offense possible. That's the tradeoff with a offensive engine like Luka β you need length and instincts elsewhere on the roster to make up for it, guys who can defend without needing the ball in their hands.
That's basically Thybulle's entire game.
He's a two-time All-Defensive Second Team guy, and even with injuries chewing into his last couple of seasons, he's still one of the more disruptive wing defenders in the league when healthy. Quick hands, faster recovery, a real feel for when to jump passing lanes.
Over his 30 games in Portland last season:
** 43.3% from the field 39.8% from three 2.0 steals per game **
That's a real stretch of basketball, not a small sample fluke. He looked like himself again β pestering ball handlers, getting into passing lanes, altering shots he has no business contesting given his frame.
Where He Fits Under Redick
A few ways this pays off in Redick's rotation:
Point-of-attack help. Add him to Quentin Grimes and Ziaire Williams and suddenly the Lakers have real answers for the West's tougher backcourts, instead of hoping Luka can hold up on switches.
3-and-D upside. If that 39.8% from deep is even close to real, Luka is going to find him wide open in the corners constantly. Defenses can't help off him and also help off everyone else.
Easy offense. Thybulle's steals turn into points in transition almost automatically β exactly the kind of cheap offense this team needs instead of grinding out half-court possessions every trip.
Magic Johnson's been saying it all summer: the Lakers needed to get younger and faster, and moves like this are what that actually looks like in practice, not just talk.
Bottom Line
Under $2.5 million against the cap for a guy who can legitimately defend three positions and hit an open three? That's about as close to free as it gets in this league. Worst case, he's rotation depth. Best case, he's closing games next to Luka and Walker Kessler when the Lakers need a stop in the fourth quarter.
Grade: A-