The Los Angeles Lakers invested $112 million in Quentin Grimes and Sandro Mamukelashvili earlier this summer, only for minimum contract signings Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams to start ahead of them. It's one of the signature gambles of JJ Redick's early formula for success.
Though starting Thybulle over Grimes has thus far paid off, it's an erratic jump shot that wild decide whether or not this gamble can last.
Thybulle, 29, is one of the most disruptive defenders of his generation. His ability to not only pick up players at the point of attack, but cause chaos in the passing lanes with deflections and steals alike is a transformative addition to a Lakers rotation that needs players cut from that very cloth.
That's translated to the early stages of the 2026-27 season, with Thybulle starting all three of the Lakers' games and making a positive impact across the board.
Nobody else is going to talk about it, so I will!
— zach (@zachkifer15) October 25, 2026
Matisse Thybulle was awesome for the Lakers today. Deflecting everything, flying around on defense, knocking down catch-and-shoot threes, and making winning plays.
Really smart move by LA picking Thybulle up in the offseason! pic.twitter.com/hHGSVfc6i0
Though Thybulle has played well, it's hard to comfortably back him over Grimes when comparing their respective sample sizes of recent success. For instance: Thybulle has appeared in just 48 games since the start of the 2024-25 season.
Furthermore, Thybulle was a career 33.8 percent three-point shooter through 2023-24. With this in mind, it's fair to question how long the Lakers can justify using Grimes as a non-starter if Thybulle's jump shot reverts to his most sustained form.
How long can Matisse Thybulle start for? His jumper will answer
Thybulle has shot remarkably well through three games, burying 46.7 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. He also shot 41.1 percent across 45 games between the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons. With that in mind, it's plausible that he could sustain a high level of efficiency.
The harsh reality facing Thybulle, however, is that perimeter role players' impact in the postseason tends to be influenced by how reliable they are on open shots.
Yes, Thybulle's defensive intensity should translate to the playoffs. The postseason is an environment in which everyone is going all-out on defense, however, and those that refuse to are generally benched or receive early entrance to the offseason.
That isn't to say that Thybulle's defense won't be valuable to the Lakers in a postseason setting, but if Grimes can offer even somewhat comparable quality while being more reliable on offense, the rotation could undergo sudden changes.
Quentin Grimes or Matisse Thybulle: Who's the better long-term starter?
In fairness to Lakers head coach JJ Redick, Thybulle has been starting games and Grimes has generally been ending them. Grimes has also played an average of 26.0 minutes per game compared to Thybulle's 24.3. In saying that, this is a far simpler situation to manage when things are going well.
When the Lakers inevitably encounter trying times, calls for a $60 million signing to take precedence over a veteran on a minimum salary could become a distraction.
More importantly, Thybulle being unable to knock down jumpers in the playoffs would make it challenging to play him big minutes—and the same goes for Ziaire Williams. Though Grimes shot inefficiently overall in 2025-26, he's a proven catch-and-shoot specialist who could perhaps more conceivably avoid that same fate.
It's too soon to sound the alarms and suggest that the Lakers are making a mistake, but Thybulle's generally unproven jump shot will decide if their lineup gamble pays off.
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