The Lakers had plans for Adou Thiero this season that involved potential rotation minutes. But as the saying goes, even the best laid plans can go to waste.
Thiero carried his knee injury from the offseason into the start of the campaign this year, delaying the beginning of his rookie campaign. Another injury in the middle of the year further interrupted his season.
The result has been a season with lots of stops and starts, little rhythm and effectively no impact on the parent Lakers.
However, there
is a bit of good news as the season nears it’s end. A bit of an extended stint in the G League for Thiero has helped him find his groove, most recently with a 25-point outing, prompting quesitons about him to head coach JJ Redick at practice on Monday.
Thiero shined in South Bay’s game against the Santa Cruz Warriors on Sunday, scoring his 25 points on 10-12 shooting from the field and an especially eye-catching 5-5 shooting from three. He added six rebounds, a pair of assists and a pair of blocks.
While that was his most impressive line in recent outings, he has strung together some solid outings. Across his last four games in the last two-and-a-half weeks, Thiero is shooting 26-35 (74.3%) from the field. He’s only taken threes in two games, but has not missed any of his six attempts.
The most encouraging thing is how fluid he looks on the court. That’s the type of thing that only comes with time and he certainly looks back to his athletically overwhelming best.
The question the Lakers are facing now is whether it’s more valuable to have Thiero continue to get reps in the G League or bring him up to the parent Lakers for spot rotation minutes. Considering how well he’s playing right now and how inconsistent his minutes would be in the NBA, you can see the rationale for keeping him where he’s at.
This has already effectively been a lost season in many respects for Thiero. Let him finish things strong, carry some momentum in the summer and start things off with a big Summer League in July.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
