Marcus Smart revitalized his career with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2025-26. Chief among the reasons he was able to do so was the fact that, after appearing in a combined 54 games between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, Smart played 62 in 2025-26.
As the Lakers weigh their options for the forward vacancy in their starting lineup, their best option will require Smart's luck to transfer to a new player: Matisse Thybulle.
Had Los Angeles succeeded in its effort to sign Jonathan Kuminga, it was reportedly planning to start him at forward. That would've likely seen him play alongside the quartet of Luka Doncic, Quentin Grimes, Walker Kessler, and Austin Reaves.
Unfortunately, Kuminga signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Lakers have thus been left scrambling to figure out which of their admittedly flawed options to start at forward would be best.
The current forwards on Los Angeles' roster are Jake LaRavia, Thybulle, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Ziaire Williams. LaRavia and Vanderbilt are subpar shooters, however, and Williams is still fairly enigmatic. Sandro Mamukelashvili could be the answer, but he struggles to defend in space and thus may be a better option as an instant offense reserve.
Thybulle, meanwhile, is a tremendous defender and an efficient shooter—when he's available. The problem, however, is that availability hasn't been a strength in recent years.
Matisse Thybulle is an ideal starter for the Lakers—but can he stay healthy?
Thybulle appeared in just 30 games in 2025-26 and made a mere 15 appearances in 2024-25. He played at least 65 games in each of the five seasons prior, however, which offers some reason for hope that he can right the ship and stay healthy in 2026-27.
If that transpires, then Thybulle would be the ideal starter for the Lakers as a 3-and-D forward who can match up against players at multiple positions.
Thybulle started his career as an inefficient shooter, but he's quietly developed into a reliable source of spacing. Over the past four seasons, he's buried 36.9 percent of his 2.9 three-point field goal attempts per game and 5.4 attempts per 36 minutes.
Thybulle has also maintained impressive quality as an on-ball and off-ball defender who can make life significantly easier for Luka Doncic and the Lakers in 2026-27.
Despite the injuries, Thybulle finished the 2025-26 season ranked in the 87th percentile in off-ball chaser defense and the 69th percentile in perimeter isolation defense. It's unclear if he can still be the lockdown defender he once was, but he's still a high-level contributor in that regard. He's also an elite defensive playmaker who has averaged 3.0 steals and 1.1 blocks per 36 minutes since 2022-23.
The Lakers will need Smart's injury luck to transfer over to Thybulle to justify making him the starter, but he has the defense and shooting to be an ideal fit in the Lakers' starting five.
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