The Los Angeles Lakers still haven’t acquired forward Jonathan Kuminga, at least not yet, and they may never land him. But they are starting to stockpile a collection of wings who could contribute on both ends of the floor and help them win a respectable number of games.
On Sunday, Ziaire Williams, a 6-foot-9 forward who is very athletic and defensive-minded, signed a one-year contract with the Lakers. On Monday, they got wing Matisse Thybulle to agree to join them on a one-year, $3.3 million contract, per ESPN.
“Free agent forward Matisse Thybulle has agreed on a one-year, $3.3 million deal to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers, sources told ESPN,” wrote Shams Charania.
“Thybulle, a two-time All-Defensive team member, spoke with JJ Redick and Luka Doncic about the Lakers’ desire to sign him and his role during free agency and chose the opportunity in an effort to beef up the team’s wing defense.”
Thybulle is 6-foot-5 and has a wingspan of seven feet, and his vertical leap has been recorded at roughly 41 inches. The 29-year-old was the No. 20 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics and was promptly traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, where he quickly emerged as a spark plug off the bench.
In addition to being a tenacious defender, he has improved his 3-point shooting over time. He shot 39.8% from 3-point range last season as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers, and he made 41.1% of his 3-point attempts over the last two years.
Overall, Thybulle averaged 5.8 points, two rebounds and two steals in 16 minutes a game this past season. Over the last two seasons, he registered an outstanding 4.2 steals per 36 minutes.
The one concern about Thybulle is his health. He has appeared in just 45 games over the last two years, but on the other hand, he didn’t miss too many games in his previous five NBA seasons.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Matisse Thybulle, Lakers agree on one-year contract
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire | USA TODAY Network
