The Los Angeles Lakers used their lone draft pick in 2025 on promising wing Adou Thiero out of Arkansas. Thiero is known to be an excellent athlete and relentless defender with some offensive potential should he develop properly. Unfortunately for Thiero, injuries have limited his ability to make an impact in his rookie season.
A knee issue dating back to his time at Arkansas delayed his initial debut for the Lakers while a sprained MCL has kept him out since Dec. 30. But now it looks as if Thiero is progressing well and could be nearing a return for the team.
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, the Lakers have assigned Thiero to the South Bay Lakers of the G League with the rookie having recently participated in his first full-contact stay ready game:
The Lakers have assigned Dalton Knecht and Adou Thiero to South Bay for today’s practice, the team announced. Thiero, out since Dec. 30 with a sprained right MCL, participated in his first full-contact stay ready game since the injury earlier this week, sources told ESPN
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 8, 2026
This is great news for Thiero as he has been unable to make the impact he would have liked in his first NBA season, but should be able to suit up once again soon. Whether he will be able to crack head coach JJ Redick’s rotation is unclear, especially after the addition of Luke Kennard, but Thiero’s potential as a defender is at least a good option to have for L.A. in the latter stretch of the regular season.
The most important thing is for Thiero to be completely recovered from this knee issue. Particularly for an athlete of his caliber, lingering knee issues can be scary so he and the training staff must do everything in their power to ensure those problems are behind him.
Thiero has appeared in just 15 games for the Lakers this season, mostly in garbage time, though he did acquit himself well in a couple of G League appearances earlier this season. In three games for South Bay, Thiero averaged 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals in just 20.3 minutes per contest.
JJ Redick applauds Luke Kennard’s ability to make reads in Lakers debut
While Adou Thiero is known for his defense, Luke Kennard is on the opposite end as one of the best 3-point shooters in the NBA today. And in his Lakers debut he showed some other facets of his game, particularly his ability to make reads which stood out to head coach JJ Redick.
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