Lakers’ Adou Thiero Could See Role as a Rookie

As it stands now, the Los Angeles Lakers head into the 2025-26 season with two of the best play-makers of all-time.

Four-time champion LeBron James is proven in that regard, ranking No. 4 all-time in assists with 11,584 dimes strewn across Cleveland, Miami and Los Angeles. While Luka Doncic doesn’t yet have that pedigree, he’s obviously cruising toward that stratosphere, averaging 8.2 assists per game across his first seven seasons.

While the Lakers enter next season with a fairly talented roster, few players will benefit more from their two star’s passing than their newest addition in Adou Thiero.

At the 2025 NBA Draft, the Lakers moved up not once but twice to grab the Arkansas forward, taking him at No. 36.

At freshly 21, Thiero is a big-bodied forward who followed John Calipari from Kentucky to Arkansas, where he saw a breakout season. Across 27 games he averaged 15.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, shooting 55% overall, cementing himself as a second-round pick.

Thiero, most simply, was one of the most athletic players in the class, using a blend of verticality, first step, strength, physicality and quick lateral movement to thrive on both ends. While he’s certainly a developmental pick overall, his tools should carry him to NBA impact eventually. 

Had Thiero landed elsewhere he may not be slated for Year 1 minutes. But James and Doncic’s ability to raise the floor of rosters should lend itself well to Thiero’s skillset. Athletically he fits the NBA like a glove, and should be able to play-finish at a great rate with the Lakers, be it in transition, slashing or in the dunker spot. While his shooting is a major work in progress, it may not be needed with the team’s host of perimeter players.

Defensively, Thiero will need time to cook and hone his overall skills, but again has every tool to be successful at his disposal.

There’s no guarantee he’ll offer positive impact to Los Angeles next season, but he's landed in one of the best situations specific to his skills. And it would certainly help a roster that desperately needs talent where it can get it.