The Los Angeles Lakers were not going to sit back throughout the 2025 NBA Draft and just see who fell to them. Instead, the front office led by Rob Pelinka did what they needed to do, moving up from No. 55 to the 36th pick to take Arkansas forward Adou Thiero.
The athletic wing has a ton of potential, especially on the defensive side of the ball and he certainly addresses some needs of the team. Pelinka and the Lakers are certainly high on him as the Lakers GM revealed the front office had a first-round grade on Thiero coming into the draft, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“We were super aggressive to begin the day knowing that we didn’t have a first-round pick. Adou was projected by our scouts as a first-round talent and so we were able to turn 55, which is a late-second round pick to a high second-round pick to pick a player that we had projected in the first round. So it’s almost like having the first-round pick that we traded out. Tons of credit, thankful for the support of Jeanie to allow us to be aggressive and use resources to win at the margins, move up in the draft and get a player that we really think is gonna dimensionalize our roster. We just felt like one of the things we need to address was to get younger and more athletic on the wings. Being able to get a player like Adou that can catch lobs from the corner when Luka is making paint decisions I think is gonna be really special. And then he’s just got big shoulders, big chest, a guy that’s gonna play defense and add some physicality and athleticism to our roster. So super excited about that.”
Pelinka would continue on, believing that these recent playoffs showed how important a strong, physical wing like Thiero can be for the Lakers going forward:
“I think all of us watched the playoffs and just the way the game is being officiated now, there’s a lot more physicality in the game. So being able to add a young man like Adou, who’s just gifted. He’s a beast. I think obviously we’re gonna get him in the weight room and get him conditioned. But I think the tools that he has, you can really see a vision for him to be one of those really elite, physical, athletic wings that are so necessary to winning in the league.”
Thiero undoubtedly has elite physical gifts and a mindset of being willing to do whatever is needed in order for the team to succeed. You can’t have enough athletic wings in today’s NBA and the Lakers added a great one whom they hope can develop into an impact player for this team.
Lakers draft pick Adou Thiero models his game after Jrue Holiday, OG Anunoby
While he averaged 15.1 points last year at Arkansas, Adou Thiero knows his game thrives most on the defensive end, which is why the Lakers’ draft pick studies and models his game after elite defenders such as OG Anunoby and Jrue Holiday.
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