What type of defensive team will the Los Angeles Lakers be in 2026-27? For many, the answer to that question has to do with them being a bad unit. Look more closely and there is a better conclusion to draw than that low-hanging (and disputable) fruit.
The Lakers are going to be disruptive. That should be the main takeaway for how Los Angeles can operate in the coming season. They have brought in a ton of defensive talent that should help them be a unit that creates plays on the back end, turning it into an opportunity to get out and run.
Matisse Thybulle, Cameron Carr, Adou Thiero, Ziaire Williams, Quentin Grimes, etc. — these are all guys who should be given the freedom to muck it up on the defensive end this season. Having Walker Kessler behind them allows for that extra level of aggressiveness.
Maybe the Lakers will be getting beat their fair bit on the defensive end. The aim will be to balance that out with the extra opportunities created from their playmaking on that side of the court. They should be well positioned to do that.
Lakers' personnel is set up to wreak havoc on defense
No one epitomizes the Lakers better in today's discussion than Thybulle. In his limited appearances last season, the former Portland Trail Blazers wing created 2.0 steals per game in just 16.0 minutes a night. That is someone who would be endearingly labeled as a pest.
The other guys in question are built to cause similar disruption here.
Grimes may not be the guy who is creating the turnovers himself, but his aggressive defense can help the guys behind him jump passing lanes. Thiero has an impressive motor that will annoy just about anyone in front of him. Ziaire averaged a career-high 1.4 steals of his own last season. Carr can affect the game with his length and shot-blocking ability on the wings.
Even the Lakers' franchise guy, Luka Doncic, was someone who has routinely awesome on defense at being a disruptor. Doncic averaged 1.6 steals per game last season. That firmly placed him in the top 10 for that category in 2025-26.
The Lakers were middle of the pack last season when it came to steals per game (tied for 14th in the NBA). They were also below average in the assist-to-turnover ratio department at 1.79 (18th in the league). Both of those are areas in which Los Angeles will be hoping for an uptick.
They brought in the guys necessary to do that. That should mean their defense is set up to create fun amounts of chaos in the upcoming season.
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