The Los Angeles Lakers’ struggles in the second round against the Oklahoma City Thunder has head coach JJ Redick searching for any spark that can help the team. In Game 3, he turned to rookie Adou Thiero and despite the Lakers ultimately coming up short again, the young wing had a solid outing.
Thiero scored just four points, but grabbed a team-high eight rebounds in 13 minutes. His athleticism and energy were needed against the Thunder and the rookie was just thankful for the opportunity to help the Lakers in any way he could after working hard all season.
“I mean, just thinking about it, I prayed for moments like these and worked for moments like these,” Thiero told reporters after practice on Sunday. “So just to get that opportunity has been special and go out there and do what I can for the guys.”
Injuries made it difficult for Thiero to carve out a role for the Lakers as a rookie as recovery from knee surgery kept him out to start the season while other minor issues also popped up during the year, limiting his ability to make an impact. He appeared in just 25 games during the season and played more than 10 minutes just five times, but on Saturday he logged the second-most minutes off the bench behind Luke Kennard.
The fact that Redick was willing to turn to him is proof that the work he has been putting in has not gone unnoticed by the coaching staff and he delivered what the team needed. The Lakers are not the most athletic team, but Thiero is an exception to that and against a Thunder team filled with outstanding athletes, he is one of the few players on the Lakers who can match that.
Of course, there is plenty that Thiero will need to continue to develop, but him contributing in any way during the playoffs where the lights are brightest, after rarely playing throughout the season, is a promising sign of what he can become in this league. He has certainly earned the opportunity for more minutes in Game 4 and will be someone worth keeping an eye on for his development this offseason.
Lakers coach JJ Redick maintains his belief in Deandre Ayton
Someone else the Lakers need to come up big in Game 4 is center Deandre Ayton, who has struggled in this series against the Thunder. But that has not dampened head coach JJ Redick’s belief in the big man to help the Lakers win.
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