Austin Reaves has found a problem with the Los Angeles Lakers’ new perimeter defenders: He has to practice against them.
Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams have made an impression through the opening days of training camp, earning praise from a teammate whose job includes figuring out how to beat them.
“Let me tell you, trying to score on Matisse and Ziaire, especially with Adou [Thiero] out there too, and then Walker [Kessler] on the back line, is not easy,” Reaves told reporters Wednesday. “I had to deal with that all day yesterday and today and it’s not fun.”
For the Lakers, his frustration is an encouraging review of a defense taking shape around new faces.
Austin Reaves Singles Out Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams
Reaves did not need a scouting report to explain the challenge. He had spent two practices experiencing it.
“They all annoy the hell out of me,” he said. “Like I talked about, Matisse and Ziaire, yesterday were on the same team and it was not my team, which wasn’t fun. But it’s good to just get those reps in early.”
His assessment went beyond the inconvenience of difficult scrimmage matchups.
“I think they’re two of the best defenders in the league,” Reaves said.
That is Reaves’ evaluation, offered before the Lakers have played a regular-season game with this group. Thybulle brings established recognition: He earned NBA All-Defensive second-team honors in 2021 and 2022.
Reaves highlighted both players’ ability to defend multiple positions and their length. He reserved praise for Thybulle’s anticipation, calling it “top tier.”
Those qualities can change the decisions available to a ballhandler. A passing window can disappear, a driving lane can narrow and a possession can become more demanding before a shot goes up.
Williams gives the Lakers another long perimeter option alongside Thybulle. Both joined Los Angeles during the offseason, adding defensive choices around Reaves and Luka Doncic.
They both signed one-year, veteran minimum deals in a prove-it season for the Lakers.
Walker Kessler Adds Another Layer to Lakers Defense
Reaves’ description included the players behind and beside those wings.
Thiero adds another athletic defender to the combinations available in camp. Kessler gives the group a center waiting near the basket when an opponent gets through the initial pressure.
The potential benefit is straightforward: Perimeter defenders can challenge an offensive player knowing another obstacle remains behind them.
Whether that becomes a dependable team defense will require more than a few competitive practices. Rotations, communication and discipline must hold up against opponents who can study those habits and exploit mistakes.
For Reaves, the benefit is the preparation itself. Difficult possessions in September offer opportunities to sharpen reads and counters before the schedule begins.
They also give the Lakers a way to evaluate which defensive combinations work without sacrificing the spacing their offense needs.
“I’m excited to have them on our team and see what they can do,” Reaves said.
Soon, someone else will have to solve the matchups that have occupied his first two days of camp. Reaves has already supplied a warning: The work is uncomfortable.
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