Mar 27, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks forward Adou Thiero (3), Texas Tech Red Raiders forward Federiko Federiko (33) and guard Elijah Hawkins (3) battle for control of the ball during the first half during a West Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Lakers Insider Provides Major Injury Update on Rookie Who Missed Summer League

Originally posted on Los Angeles Lakers on SI
By Alex Kirschenbaum | Last updated Aug 16, 2025 6:00 PM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers made a concerted push to select former Arkansas Razorbacks forward Adou Thiero in this year's 2025 NBA Draft, trading up twice to snag the 6-foot-8 wing with the No. 36 pick.

The 21-year-old struggled to make much of an impact during his first two seasons in college, which he spent with the Kentucky Wildcats.

During his two years with the Wildcats, Thiero averaged 5.0 points on .466/.323/.761 shooting splits, 3.6 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.7 blocks and 0.6 steals a night across 45 games (19 starts).

He entered his name into the player pool for consideration as a draft pick last summer, but ultimately opted to withdraw and transfer to Arkansas.

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In 27 bouts for the Razorbacks (26 starts) during the 2024-25 season, Thiero averaged 15.1 points on .545/.256/.686 shooting splits, 5.8 boards, 1.9 dimes, 1.6 swipes and 0.7 rejections a night.

Thiero sat out all of Summer League this season with a knee injury, which has many wondering when he'll return.

Per Dan Woike of The Athletic, Thiero will be available in time for the team's training camp this fall.

"I’ve been told Thiero has been working out in the Lakers’ facility and is expected to be participating once training camp opens at the end of September," Woike writes. "As far as his role? It’s gonna be crowded. But it’s sort of a universal truth in the NBA. If young players want to get on the court, you do it by making an impact on the defensive end. And Thiero has the tools to make an impact on the defensive end."

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Last year's top Lakers rookie, No. 17 pick Dalton Knecht out of Tennessee, had an encouraging start to his debut pro season, but fell off mightily upon returning after a botched trade attempt.

Knecht actually regressed mightily in Summer League from his performance last year, when he had averaged 18.0 points on an inefficient .367/.342/.767 slash line, plus 4.8 boards, 2.2 dimes and 1.5 steals. This summer, Knecht averaged just 11.7 points on an even worse slash line of .321/.237/.643, 4.8 boards, 1.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.5 blocks a night.

"I won’t go too in-depth on Knecht, other than to say that I think NBA evaluators haven’t put much stock into his summer-league performance," Woike adds.