The Los Angeles Lakers received positive news regarding rookie forward Adou Thiero, who has yet to make his preseason debut due to lingering knee issues.
According to Dan Woike of The Athletic, the Lakers released an official medical update Monday that read:
“Los Angeles Lakers forward Adou Thiero has experienced improvement in his knee swelling, which has allowed him to progress in his on-court activities. He will continue to build his strength under the direction of the performance team and will be reevaluated in approximately 2-3 weeks.”
The 21-year-old Thiero has been sidelined since the start of training camp while rehabbing from the knee injury he suffered last season at Arkansas. The setback also forced him to miss the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, leaving his official Lakers debut still on hold.
Lakers’ Aggressive Draft Move for Thiero
Getty Adou Thiero of the Los Angeles Lakers poses for a portrait during the 2025 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot.
Despite Thiero’s injury history, the Lakers’ front office believed strongly in his potential. On draft night, general manager Rob Pelinka executed a pair of trades to move up nearly 20 spots—from No. 55 to No. 36 overall—to secure the athletic forward.
“We were super aggressive to begin the day knowing that we didn’t have a first-round pick,” Pelinka told Spectrum SportsNet after the 2025 NBA Draft. “Adou was projected by our scouts as a first-round talent, and we were able to turn 55, which is a late second-round pick, into a high second-round pick to select a player we had projected in the first round. So it’s almost like having the first-round pick that we traded out.”
To pull off the move, the Lakers first dealt the No. 55 pick and cash considerations to the Chicago Bulls to move up to No. 45, before flipping that selection and additional cash to the Minnesota Timberwolves to land at No. 36 — the slot used to draft Thiero.
Pelinka Compare Thiero to OG Anunoby
Pelinka drew attention post-draft when he compared Thiero’s skill set to New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby, one of the league’s premier two-way players.
“Obviously, OG is an incredible player that’s done so much in the league,” Pelinka said. “I don’t want to put pressure on anyone to become someone else, but that archetype is definitely it. He’s got the 6’7” frame, he’s incredibly explosive, a developing shooter, and a lob catcher. On the other side of the ball, he’s going to be an elite defender. He has all the tools there.”
Thiero’s former college coach, John Calipari at Arkansas, called him “the steal of the draft” and praised his work ethic.
“Forget what round he is drafted in,” Calipari wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “He is a player they will look at and go, ‘How did he get drafted there? That was a steal.’ He has what it takes mentally and physically to succeed in the NBA. Go do it, Adou!”
High Ceiling, But Shooting Needs Work
At 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot wingspan, Thiero possesses ideal length for an NBA wing and projects as a potential 3-and-D forward. He averaged 15.1 points on 54.5% shooting and 5.8 rebounds per game last season for the Razorbacks, but shot just 28.4% from three-point range across his college career.
Still, his defensive instincts, athleticism, and versatility made him a favorite among the Lakers’ scouting staff — and his recent medical progress suggests he could make his Lakers debut sometime in November if recovery stays on track.
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