The Los Angeles Lakers were one of the most active teams of the offseason. They made some sweeping changes to their roster, starting with LeBron James‘ departure after eight seasons.
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka pulled off trades to acquire Walker Kessler and Jaden Hardy. The Lakers also signed multiple free agents like Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin Sexton, Matisse Thybulle, Kevon Looney and Ziaire Williams.
Jonathan Kuminga was also a major target for the Lakers, but he rebuffed the franchise to join the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Pelinka on Signing Grimes, Thybulle and Williams
In the first episode of “Lakers Close Up” on YouTube, Rob Pelinka and JJ Redick highlighted the Los Angeles Lakers’ need to add some athleticism to their roster.
While Redick pointed out the importance of bringing in complementary players, Pelinka focused on what Quentin Grimes, Mattise Thybulle and Ziaire Williams can do on the court.
“In one of the pickup games this summer, (Thybulle) had like seven steals in the first half of the game,” Pelinka said. “Ziaire too, another on-ball point-of-attack defender. And Quinten Grimes has the ability to dribble, pass, shoot offensively, but also is a point-of-attack defender to pick up the other team’s guard and guard full-court when needed.”
Grimes signed a four-year, $60 million contract. He’s on track to be the Lakers’ starting small forward this season. He is a capable scorer, especially if given the opportunity.
Thybulle, on the other hand, is one of the best defenders in the NBA when healthy. He has been plagued by injuries in his last two seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, so he ended up joining the Lakers on a one-year deal.
As for Williams, the 25-year-old forward is coming off a career year with the Brooklyn Nets. He averaged 10.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.4 steals. He also signed a one-year contract with the Lakers.
JJ Redick on Potential Starting 5 to Start Season
The Los Angeles Lakers will begin their season at home on October 21 against the Golden State Warriors.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick is still mulling his starting lineup, though it’s safe to assume that Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler are part of the first five.
Quentin Grimes is the presumed starting small forward, but the absence of Collin Sexton seems to be forcing Redick to bring him off the bench to give his relief corps some stability in terms of ball-handling and scoring.
“We wanted to get a look on this first game because Collin was out,” Redick said via Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. “That fourth ballhandler for us hasn’t been great. … So Quentin is also going to maybe have some looks as a ballhandler.”
The Lakers used Matisse Thybulle and Ziaiare Williams for both forward positions in their final preseason game against the Denver Nuggets.
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