The Los Angeles Lakers welcomed back 2025 second-round pick Adou Thiero to the mix last week. He had missed the first 13 games of the 2025-26 season recovering from knee surgery — a hyperextension he suffered last season — and was activated for L.A.’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Thiero is not expected to be a major contributor at the NBA level this season, but his combination of athleticism, defensive prowess and finishing at the rim are all intriguing skillsets that could help him become a legitimate rotation player sooner than the average second-round pick.
But while he still gets his legs under him from all the time he missed, Thiero is going to have some runs with the South Bay Lakers in the G League. He was sent down earlier this week with the Lakers having four full days off and South Bay having a game against the Santa Cruz Warriors on Friday night.
Thiero started for South Bay in that game — alongside some other familiar names in Bronny James, Nick Smith Jr., Christian Koloko and Drew Timme — and impressed in all phases. He finished with 19 points, four rebounds and three steals on 5-of-9 shooting in only 19 minutes of action:
Adou Thiero tonight doing it all:
19 PTS | 4 REB | 1 AST | 3 STL pic.twitter.com/V6lEzo3o6P— Laker Performances (@LALPerformance) November 22, 2025
Timme, Smith and James all had strong performances of their own as South Bay got the big win to move to 4-1 on the season. But Thiero’s was truly the standout. To lead the team in scoring despite playing less than 20 minutes — and significantly less minutes than the other double-digit scorers — shows an efficiency that he can bring when playing within his game.
The Lakers could arguably use more wing defense and more high-energy players. They have struggled in transition so far this year on both ends of the floor, and their defense looks to be about as expected, which doesn’t bode well for a deep playoff run.
While Thiero may not be a total fix, he could provide some assistance once he gets some more minutes under his belt. Over the course of the regular season, it may not be surprising to see Thiero get some meaningful run in some of these Lakers games after the way he has started the year.
JJ Redick: Lakers must clean up turnover issues
The Lakers have gotten off to a strong start this season, due in large part to what has been a very good offense. Led by Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, the Lakers have consistently gotten excellent looks and for the most part, have executed the system designed by head coach JJ Redick and his coaching staff.
The Lakers have been extremely efficient, leading the NBA in field goal percentage and true shooting percentage while ranking second in effective field goal percentage. But despite their overall efficiency, the Lakers are just outside of the top 10 in offensive rating and Redick knows the culprit and the thing this team needs to fix most is their turnovers.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
