Lakers Summer Notes: A Matisse Thybulle Breakdown

I spent most of the past three days watching Walker Kessler games, and this was supposed to be the long-awaited Kessler deep dive.

But we’re at the fun part of the NBA offseason when one Shams notification can force you to drop everything and change plans.

Shams Charania@ShamsCharania

Free agent forward Matisse Thybulle has agreed on one-year, $3.3 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, sources tell ESPN.

6:22 PM · Jul 20, 2026 · 7.75M Views

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Much like the Lakers navigating what remains of the free-agent market, you have to stay flexible and react when an unexpected opportunity appears.

The Kessler breakdown is still coming soon. But today, the focus shifts to a data deep dive into the Lakers’ enigmatic newest addition, Matisse Thybulle.

Thybulle is one of the best defensive playmakers in the NBA, perhaps even the best.

He is also a polarizing and complicated player who ultimately became available to the Lakers for the minimum.

How can both things be true?

Let’s dig in.

Today’s highlights:

1. Accumulating All-Defense-type talent...

2. ...and adding another piece that fits the new vision (Thybulle data deep-dive)

3. So, where’s the catch?

4. Wing depth, the roster crunch, Kaluma, and more moves to follow?

Those of you who have closely followed my offseason breakdowns know that I always start with the big-picture outlook before jumping into evaluations of individual players.

That approach makes even more sense during a roster reshuffle as drastic as the Lakers’ transformation this offseason. For anyone who missed it, my last article served as a map of everything that has happened so far, summarizing all the moves and examining how they connect to the Lakers’ new vision built around Luka Dončić.

Before we get to how Thybulle fits the new vision, I want to address something that, as my loyal readers know, has been a pet peeve of mine for a long time. During his eight-year NBA career, Dončić has never had a teammate earn an All-Defense selection while playing alongside him. That’s why one of my biggest offseason questions was: Can the Lakers Find All-Defense Talent?

I wouldn’t go as far as saying the Lakers surrounded Dončić with an abundance of elite defensive talent this offseason, especially since losing Marcus Smart will hurt. But they now have one player in Thybulle who has already earned All-Defense honors, making the Second Team in both 2021 and 2022, and another in Kessler who has the potential to do so in the future.