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Welcome to our Lakers Season Preview Series! For the next several weeks, we’ll be writing columns every weekday breaking down the biggest questions we have about every player the Lakers added this offseason. Today, we look at Matisse Thybulle.
When Marcus Smart signed with the Houston Rockets over the summer, the Lakers lost more than just their best perimeter defender. They lost their defensive identity, spirit and chaos agent.
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Regardless of why Smart wasn’t retained, it was clear the Lakers had to find a way to replicate the tangible and intangible value he added.
Walker Kessler being the interior anchor will go a long way, but to help shore up the perimeter, the Lakers will be betting on Matisse Thybulle being Smart’s proxy. As they did with Smart, the Lakers are adding Thybulle in hopes he stays healthy and rejuvenated while playing for a team with championship aspirations.
The gamble, albeit mostly safe given Thybulle signed at the minimum, is one that could pay off huge, or one that forces the Lakers back on the market in search of help.
What is his best-case scenario?
At the top of Thybulle’s priority list for a successful season is to be on the floor.
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Although his reputation of being injury-prone is probably overstated at this point, he has recently simply been unable to stay healthy. This is a major reason why he was even available at the price the Lakers paid.
Thybulle has appeared in just a combined 45 games over the past two seasons. Fortunately, reports say he is fully healthy ahead of the new season.
If that is the case and he can remain that way for the majority of the year, that could be a major development for the Lakers’ defensive upside. Because when he’s on the floor, there are few — if any — more disruptive players in the NBA.
When comparing his activity to other wings, Thybulle has finished lower than the 98th percentile in steal percentage once, and never worse than the 92nd percentile in block percentage in his career.
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Perhaps more important than Thybulle’s staggering disruption ability is the impact he has on his entire team’s defense.
Last year, the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/matisse-thybulle-remain-healthy-enough-152400957.html
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Publish date : 2026-09-15 15:24:00
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