Ziaire Williams, Matisse Thybulle Win Lakers' Starting Jobs Over Grimes
Williams went 5-for-5 from deep in preseason to grab a starting spot. The fantasy upside is thin — here's why Grimes managers should still wait.
Bench role dents value, but $60M and preseason form keep him streamable.
- Williams went 5-for-5 on threes in preseason
- Thybulle posted 1.3 steals/game in preseason
- Grimes: 12 pts, 2.6 ast, 51.3% in 4 preseason games
- Sexton out Wed with right soleus strain
- Thiero shut down with left knee effusion
JJ Redick finally filled in the blanks. Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle will take the last two starting spots when the Lakers open their season Wednesday against the Warriors at Crypto.com Arena, joining the locked-in trio of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler. Redick had tabbed those three all along — Doncic and Reaves in the backcourt, plus the center L.A. surrendered four first-round picks to land — and left the wings open for a camp battle.
Williams won it the simple way: he made shots and he defended. The 6-foot-9 forward on a veteran-minimum deal started both preseason games he appeared in, hit all five of his three-point attempts, and showed he'll pick up ball-handlers full court — exactly the two-way cover the Lakers wanted to mask Doncic and Reaves on defense. Thybulle, a 6-foot-5 off-ball specialist, averaged 1.3 steals per game in the preseason and spent camp jumping passing lanes on his own teammates.
The notable loser here is Quentin Grimes, who signed a four-year, $60-million contract this offseason and looked the part of a starter. He opened the first four preseason games and put up 12 points and 2.6 assists on 51.3% shooting in 25.1 minutes a night. For now, that production comes off the bench.
The Injury Picture
L.A. will be without Collin Sexton (right soleus strain) on opening night. Sexton missed all five preseason games but practiced fully Monday without a setback, and Redick framed the decision to hold him out as a collaborative one — with soft-tissue injuries, he wants the player fully confident before returning. Rookie Cameron Carr (right oblique strain) is day-to-day, and forward Adou Thiero will be shut down a couple of days with a left knee effusion before ramping back up.
The Fantasy Fallout
None of this moves the needle much in standard formats. Williams and Thybulle are defense-first role players whose box scores won't reward you consistently — the steals and threes are nice in deep leagues, but neither cracks startable territory in 12-teamers. Doncic (our #2 overall, 57.5 fantasy pts/game last season in 2025-26) and Reaves (our #38, 38.7 last season) remain the only Lakers you're building around.
The real question is Grimes. A bench role caps his ceiling, but $60 million suggests the Lakers plan to lean on him, and Sexton's absence opens minutes early. Don't drop him over a lineup decision — hold in deeper formats and stream him while Sexton heals. Sexton himself (our #145, 24.6 fantasy pts/game last season in 2025-26, up 9.9 over his average across his last five) is a hold through the soleus issue; just don't start him until he's cleared.
