Austin Reaves is getting an early introduction to the defense the Los Angeles Lakers hope to put around him this season, and two newcomers have made a particularly strong impression.
After Wednesday’s practice, Reaves identified Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams as the players whose defense had most caught his attention through the first two days of training camp.
Austin Reaves said Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams have been the biggest standouts defensively through the first two days of camp.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) September 30, 2026
His explanation made the praise more revealing than a routine preseason endorsement. Reaves described the difficulty of attacking those wings with Adou Thiero involved and Walker Kessler protecting the basket behind them.
“Let me tell you, trying to score on Matisse and Ziaire, especially with Adou out there too, and then Walker on the back line, is not easy,” Reaves said. “I had to deal with that all day yesterday and today and it’s not fun. Defensively, we’re gonna be much better. Those guys compete every possession and everybody else fills in their roles and plays the right way. I see how special we can be.”
That is an encouraging early sign for a team still deciding how to distribute its perimeter minutes. It also gives Thybulle and Williams something more concrete than an offseason projection: recognition from one of the scorers they are being asked to challenge in practice.
Neither player has won a starting job on the strength of that assessment. But their ability to interrupt possessions is already giving the Lakers something to evaluate as JJ Redick builds combinations around Reaves, Luka Doncic and Kessler.
JJ Redick adds a telling detail about Matisse Thybulle
Reaves’ assessment was accompanied by a more specific observation from his coach. Redick credited Thybulle with at least seven steals across the first two practices, while noting that teammates were learning the danger of passing through an area he occupies.
JJ Redick said that he hopes eventually his players will learn that you can’t throw the ball if Matisse Thybulle is in the passing lane. He said Thybulle has at least 7 steals in the first two days of practice.
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) September 30, 2026
The number is Redick’s practice assessment, not an official game statistic. Even with that limitation, it gives substance to the early praise: Thybulle has been doing more than making ball handlers uncomfortable, ending possessions by taking the ball away.
Thybulle already owns two All-Defensive selections. The question for Los Angeles is how effectively that established strength can be incorporated into this particular group.
A steal can produce an immediate transition opportunity before the opposing defense is organized. Pressure that does not result in a takeaway can still matter if it forces a ball-handler to retreat or delays the pass that starts an offensive action.
The distinction will be whether Thybulle can create those problems while preserving the team’s positioning. Reaching for a pass has less value if missing it leaves another defender responsible for two players; the best outcome is disruption that does not require an emergency recovery elsewhere.
His own description of the opportunity emphasized responsibilities on both ends. During Monday’s Media Day, Thybulle told Spectrum SportsNet that the fit in Los Angeles helped attract him.
“The reason I wanted to come here and be a part of this is that there’s a clear role for me on this team,” Thybulle said. “I think 3-and-D is super valuable on this roster and in the NBA, and just being able to fill those shoes will be a huge one for me.”
He also pointed to the importance of supplying perimeter shooting alongside defense. That combination is central to Thybulle’s case for earning a closing role, when the Lakers may need the same lineup to generate a basket and then get a stop.
Ziaire Williams has an opportunity to turn defense into a role
For Williams, Reaves’ assessment offers an early indication that the work he envisioned is translating to the practice floor.
At Monday’s Media Day, Williams described his prospective fit around Doncic and Reaves in terms of difficult defensive assignments, energy and pressure extending up the court. Those are ways to contribute without needing the offense to run through him.
His priorities were clear when he discussed what he hoped to bring to Los Angeles.
“I just want to contribute to winning as much as I can,” Williams said.
Williams averaged 1.4 steals per game and shot 34.3 percent from three across 56 Brooklyn appearances last season.
The relevant question is how that combination holds up alongside the Lakers’ main creators. Williams would not have to match their scoring output to be useful, but he would need to make the opportunities they create count.
If an opponent leaves him to crowd Doncic, an available three becomes part of the possession’s design. If the defender turns completely toward the ball, a well-timed cut could offer another response, provided it does not bring an extra body into Kessler’s path.
That makes Williams’ pursuit of a larger role a question of decisions as well as shooting. He can help by recognizing when to take a shot, move the ball or relocate before a defense recovers.
Reaves’ praise addresses the defensive side of that evaluation. It does not yet answer how opponents will guard Williams in meaningful games or which combination will produce the best balance for Los Angeles.
How the perimeter pressure fits with Walker Kessler
Wednesday also brought a more detailed explanation of what Redick wants the defense to do. The Lakers will continue switching across positions 1 through 4, with adjustments to their approach, while Kessler and Kevon Looney will use a mixture of drop coverage and positioning closer to the screen.
That creates different jobs within the same possession. A perimeter switch can keep a defender in front of the ball without asking the center to follow a guard far from the basket.
When the center does step higher, the players behind him must recognize which passing lanes and interior spaces need protection.
For Thybulle and Williams, the test therefore goes beyond the first matchup. They will need to communicate exchanges, recover when the ball changes sides and remain connected to teammates when an opponent moves a screener or changes the angle of an attack.
Reaves’ mention of Thiero and Kessler is relevant for that reason. His account described the difficulty of facing a group, rather than crediting either newcomer with shutting down an offense alone.
The potential benefit runs in both directions. Better pressure outside could reduce the number of uncontested drives Kessler has to confront, while protection at the rim could allow the perimeter players to challenge the ball more aggressively.
Those are possibilities for the scheme, not conclusions established by two practices. The Lakers still have to demonstrate that they can execute it against opponents preparing specifically to exploit their weaknesses.
The competition will require more than defensive praise
The Lakers have two starting positions to resolve, but the rotation will involve more decisions than filling those openings. A player could begin on the bench and still become the preferred answer for a difficult defensive assignment late in a game.
Redick’s message after Tuesday’s practice was that minutes remain something players must earn.
“You gotta earn your minutes and you cheer for your teammates while you’re doing it,” Redick said.
For Thybulle, the offensive portion of that audition has an encouraging recent reference point. He shot 39.8 percent from three in 30 Portland appearances last season, according to the Lakers’ signing announcement.
The percentage is a reason to examine the fit, not to consider the shooting question closed. Los Angeles will need to see whether he takes available attempts confidently and continues making useful decisions when opponents give him space.
For both wings, the next meaningful evidence will be complete possessions: defending without creating a breakdown elsewhere, finishing the stop and contributing when the ball goes the other way. Redick can then weigh those performances against the needs of each lineup.
Reaves has already supplied an early endorsement of the defensive work. Thybulle’s reported takeaways give the Lakers an additional reason to pay attention, while Williams has a chance to build on recognition earned directly against a teammate who knows how difficult NBA scoring can be.
The task now is to make that first impression repeatable when the competition moves beyond the practice court.
