The Los Angeles Lakers acquired a potential gem in the 2025 NBA Draft by making a couple of moves on Thursday. They first traded their No. 55 pick and cash to the Chicago Bulls for the No. 45 pick, and they later sent that No. 45 selection for the draft rights to Adou Thiero, who was the No. 36 pick.
Thiero is an intriguing prospect who could have plenty of upside. He stands 6-feet-8 and weighs 220 pounds, and he showed a good amount of improvement over his three years of college basketball. He spent his first two years at the University of Kentucky and then transferred to the University of Arkansas for this past season, and he was coached by John Calipari during all three campaigns.
There’s obviously no guarantee he will pan out, but he seems to be someone who has the tools to become a very useful NBA rotation player. Here are five notable facts about Thiero.
He’s very athletic
Thiero is said to be one of the most athletic players in this year’s draft class. At the draft combine, his wingspan was measured at seven feet and his standing reach came in at 8-feet-8.5.
While his vertical leap was measured at 41 inches during the 2022 Pro Day, there’s a video of him training with Jason Jerome, the director of performance training for the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, to reach a 46-inch vertical.
He can not only throw down big dunks, both in transition and in a halfcourt setting, but he’s also explosive, and those tools help him out on both ends of the floor. He’s also a lob threat, which means he could be a good fit alongside Luka Doncic.
The Lakers badly need athleticism and speed at the guard and wing positions, and Thiero could help in that regard.
Both of his parents were basketball players
A look at Thiero’s parents reveals where he got at least some of his ability on the hardwood. Both his father and mother played competitive basketball, and in fact, his father also played for Calipari at the University of Memphis back in the mid-2000s.
His mother played college basketball at Oklahoma City University and was even taken by the WNBA’s Washington Mystics in the third round of the 2006 draft, even though she never played in a regular season or postseason game with them.
Both of Thiero’s parents are originally from the African nation of Mali. After he was born in Salt Lake City, he spent some time in Mali, starting when he was two months old, before returning to the States at the age of three. He went to Quaker Valley High School in Leetsdale, Pa., which is just minutes outside of Pittsburgh.
He gets to the free throw line
Thiero attacks the basket relentlessly, but not all players who do so also get to the free throw line frequently.
He averaged 15.1 points and 6.5 free throw attempts a game this past season, and his free throw attempt rate of 69.2% is rather high. He does have some work to do at making foul shots — he shot only 68.6% from the charity stripe during the 2024-25 season, although he was at 80% the previous season.
During the regular season, the Lakers were fourth in free throw attempts per game. He should feel at home with them in that regard.
He has defensive potential
One thing L.A. needs is perimeter defenders, and Thiero, at the very least, has the potential to become a good one.
His speed, quickness and overall athleticism give him the potential to effectively guard players at multiple positions. He averaged 1.6 steals and 0.7 blocks this past season for the Razorbacks.
Scouts are concerned about his lack of defensive discipline and about his focus on that end of the floor. But the potential for him to be a serious disruptor in that category is definitely there.
He’s an underrated rebounder
One weakness the Lakers have that doesn’t get talked about enough is defensive rebounding, and it got exposed in the first round of the playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Even before Anthony Davis was sent away in the trade that brought them Luka Doncic, they had trouble limiting opponents to one shot.
Some of that trouble had to do with their inability to secure rebounds outside of the paint, which falls on their guards and wings. Thiero is a pretty good rebounder on both ends of the floor for a small forward, and he registered 5.8 boards a game during the 2024-25 season.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Five things to know about Adou Thiero
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
