There was a ton made about the starting lineup for the Los Angeles Lakers to begin the 2026-27 NBA season, and while it was expected Quintin Grimes and Jake LaRavia were going to be the starting forwards, head coach JJ Redick made the surprise decision to go with new additions Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams.
Through three games, Redick’s decision looks like it’s paid off. Though LaRavia wasn’t necessarily a shoo-in for the starting lineup, he was in contention for that job, but he has come off the bench in all three games for the Lakers so far.
Additionally, Grimes, the fourth-highest-paid player on the team, was expected to be the starting small forward, but nearly a week into the new season, Redick has been firm in his starting lineup, and so far, it’s been a bold decision that’s paid off for the 3-0 Lakers.
Lakers Get Good News As JJ Redick Gamble Is Paying Off
The Lakers’ starting lineup dilemma was heavily discussed over the offseason, and while Grimes was the one poised to start at small forward, there were more discussions about the power forward position, with LaRavia, Adou Thiero, Sandro Mamukelashvili, and Jarred Vanderbilt all in contention to get the nod.
However, through the Lakers’ first three games of the season, Redick has gone with a starting lineup of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Walker Kessler (all expected), Thybulle, and Williams.
Williams was also in line for the starting power forward position, as talk during training camp ramped up about him being one of the team’s best defenders and biggest free-agent additions. However, it wasn’t expected that both he and Thybulle would get the starting lineup nod to begin the year, but now, Redick looks like he had the right decision up his sleeve the entire time.
Luka Doncic Austin Reaves Matisse Thybulle Ziaire Williams Walker Kessler
Same as the preseason finale vs. Denver.
Los Angeles was dealing with injuries during the preseason, which forced the team to make some adjustments before competitive action began. However, picking Williams and Thybulle over Grimes, LaRavia, or any combination of players continues to look like the smart move, as the Lakers are 3-0 with an average margin of victory of 13 points and tied for first in the Western Conference standings.
Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams Look Like Free Agency Steals
Writing for LakeShowLife.com about Redick’s decision to put Thybulle and Williams in the Lakers’ starting lineup to begin the season, Svyatoslav Rovenchuk deemed both players to be some of the biggest steals of the NBA offseason.
“For all the summer spending the Los Angeles Lakers did in 2026, Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams make up a very small drop in the bucket. Both were secured on one-year, minimum deals. Both have started all three games amid the 3-0 beginning to the 2026-27 campaign,” he wrote.
Thybulle is averaging nine points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and two assists on 50% shooting in 24.3 minutes to start the season. Not eye-popping numbers, but when it comes to his role as the team’s top wing defender, he’s providing exactly what the Lakers were looking for when they signed him this summer.
“Many, myself included, had Quentin Grimes mentally penciled in for a starting spot in Los Angeles throughout the summer. Instead, through three games, JJ Redick has given that nod to Thybulle. Thus far, it is working out,” Rovenchuk discussed. “During that playing time, Matisse has been an impactful two-way contributor…If he can string together a full campaign of steady offense to boot, the Lakers will have made out like gangbusters in this acquisition.”
As for Williams, he’s averaging 11.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.3 steals on 52.2% shooting in 28.3 minutes through three games in the Lakers’ starting lineup under Redick.
“The most impressive part of Ziaire’s time with the Lakers so far has been his ability to bring all the effort they could ask for out of a role player on the defensive end, and not needlessly overextend himself on offense. Williams has been an unsung hero for Los Angeles in that regard thus far,” he wrote on the other starting forward. “Ziaire was expected by many to fill the vacant forward spot that Jonathan Kuminga bypassed during the summer. It was established pretty quickly in the preseason that would be the case. Williams is rewarding the organization’s belief in him on all fronts in the early goings of the 2026-27 season.”
While the Lakers were in search of wing defenders this offseason, it looks like they found them in Thybulle and Williams. Neither is scoring at a heavy clip, but that’s not their role on this team, and so far, it looks like Redick was right to put them in the starting lineup to begin the season.
It’s fair to say Redick will change the Lakers’ starting lineup and rotation as time goes on and injuries pop up, but for the time being, while the coach’s decision was surprising at first, it’s starting to pay off through the first three games of the year.
Lakers Get Great News As Shocking JJ Redick Gamble Now Looks Genius