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John Calipari Sends Pointed Warning to Teams Ahead of NBA Draft

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Evan D. Massey | Last updated Jun 19, 2025 2:52 PM ET

John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks are starting to prepare for the upcoming 2025-26 college basketball season. After a very successful first season leading the program, Calipari is excited to turn the team into a legitimate contender.

During his first season with the Razorbacks, Calipari led the team to a 22-14 record. He helped guide them into the NCAA Tournament, where Arkansas made some noise.

In the first round, the Razorbacks were able to defeat the No. 7-seeded Kansas Jayhawks by a final score of 79-72. They then knocked off Rick Pitino and No. 2 St. John's by a final score of 75-66.

Sadly, their magical run ended at the hands of Texas Tech in the Sweet 16.

One of the main players from Arkansas last season is a name to watch in the 2025 NBA draft next week. That player is none other than Adou Thiero.

With that in mind, Calipari spoke out on Thursday during a segment on the "Pat McAfee Show." He sent a pointed message to NBA teams about his former star player.

"I wouldn't miss on Adou Thiero in this draft," Calipari said. "He can play in a physical game and athletically he's in that one percent. He's that good and he's a good kid."

"I wouldn't miss on Adou Thiero in this draft..

He can play in a physical game and athletically he's in that one percent..

He's that good and he's a good kid" @CoachCalArk #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/coqTKGddkx
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 19, 2025

Throughout the course of the 2024-25 college basketball season, Thiero played in 27 games and made 26 starts. He averaged 15.1 points per game to go along with 5.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.6 steals, while shooting 54.5% from the floor and 25.6% from 3-point range.

Standing in at 6-foot-8 and 220 pounds, Thiero has excellent size to go along with his elite athleticism. He will need to work on his perimeter shooting, but his game should translate well to the professional level.

It will be interesting to see where Thiero is drafted. ESPN's latest mock draft has him being selected with the third pick in the second round at No. 33 overall to the Charlotte Hornets.

Only time will tell, but NBA teams will not be able to say that Calipari did not warn them about passing on Thiero if they choose to do so.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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