Another day has gone by, and we are seemingly no closer to figuring out where LeBron James will spend the next (and likely last) chapter of his illustrious career. Although for the Los Angeles Lakers, one could argue that their LeBron saga has been over since he told them that he was not coming back, and they should conduct their future business decisions with this in mind.
To some of the more conspiratorial folks out there, the parting of ways could have simply been a ruse — one intended to light a fire under Lakers brass and force them to use all available resources to add talent this offseason, only for James to eventually return to the place he's spent the last eight seasons. (For the record, those people have a lot of time on their hands.)
Now, though, even the tin-foil hats have to accept tha the Lakers really are done waiting around, as on Monday the team announced that it was signing LeBron's replacement.
Matisse Thybulle fills much-needed role for Lakers
I know, I know. It is a stretch beyond all stretches to think that Matisse Thybulle, a fringe rotation player, could fill the void left by James — who, even at this relatively geriatric stage, was still playing some splendid hoops at the age of 41.
However, we know that the Lakers no longer needed what James was giving them. In fact, one could argue that his ball-dominant style was getting in the way of fully remaking this team in Luka Dončić's image. (Justst look how much better the Lakers were when only one of their two franchise stars was on the court.
Los Angeles heeded James' advice and added a rogue's gallery of complementary players this offseason. Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Sandro Mamukelashvili and first-round pick Cameron Carr are all newcomers with skills that pair well around Dončić and Austin Reaves (who also just inked a pretty lucrative extension).
All of those players bring different things to the table. And while the team will miss James' god-tier basketball IQ and leadership, what they really need is another forward who can contribute on the defensive side of the floor. Thybulle's offensive shortcomings and myriad injuries have derailed him from the starting track he once appeared to be on during his days with the Philadelphia 76ers, but he's still one of the best defenders in the business. Last season, Thybulle placed in the 99th percentile in Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus (per Dunks & Threes), and he's finished in the 94th percentil or higher in five of the last six years.
Given that he'll be sharing the floor with two of the best offensive players in the league, Thybulle's weaknesses on that end won't be as damaging. And his new head coach, JJ Redick, has a penchant for revitalizing careers (see Marcus Smart last season). Adding Thybulle also tells me that the Lakers have basically given up on their pursuit of Peyton Watson and Jonathan Kuminga — or, in the case of the latter, have the leverage to not overpay if the two parties can't come to terms on a dollar figure they are comfortable with.
Another upside to this signing is that Los Angeles has barely committed any money to Thybulle, who will be making the veteran minimum. So, if he doesn't work out, or if the team's summer league standout proves to be the better option, they won't sweat moving on.
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