Lakers’ Adou Thiero ascending in G League for South Bay

With 8:27 left in the third quarter, Lakers rookie Adou Thiero caught a hit-ahead pass just inside the 3-point arc with space and just one defender a few feet away on his right side. 

Thiero needed just one dribble to get inside of the paint before raising his 6-foot-8, 220-pound frame into the air and over Timberwolves two-way forward Enrique Freeman for a poster dunk that got every player on the Lakers’ bench off their feet. 

But the play didn’t happen inside of Crypto.com Arena while the Lakers defeated the Timberwolves on Tuesday night.  

And the teammates who celebrated Thiero inside the building he was playing were not his Los Angeles teammates.

Thiero made the highlight reel-worthy play Wednesday night at the UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo during the Lakers’ South Bay affiliate win over the Iowa Wolves — one of the eight G League games he’s played.

Because for the last few weeks, as the Lakers have turned a corner in their season, the team’s 2025 second-round draft pick’s most significant playing time has come in the G League. 

And he’s produced — statistically and athletically — with his highlights being reposted by Lakers star LeBron James on his Instagram story multiple times over the last few weeks. 

Thiero has averaged 14.6 points on 63.2% shooting to go with 4.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 20.6 minutes per game in the G League. 

His time with the South Bay Lakers has been reaffirming: Thiero is every bit of the athlete the Lakers believed he was when they moved up twice in the second round to select him at No. 36. 

“He’s an NBA athlete, and we’re trying to develop him into an NBA player,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “And that’s pattern recognition. Sprinting back every time; that’s being in your shifts. That’s understanding rotations. That’s having counters.

“You gotta be able to have counters when you drive. All those things that Adou has shown such a willingness to learn and work. And I think he’s gonna have, he’ll likely get another opportunity with us. And I think he’s gonna have a great summer.”

Thiero’s opportunities to play with the parent team haven’t come often. 

He was sidelined for the 2025 summer league, training camp, preseason and the start of the regular season as he worked his way back from a left knee surgery he had last spring before being drafted. 

Thiero made his NBA debut in mid-November and was in the Lakers’ rotation for a few games in December before a sprained MCL in his right knee sidelined him for all of January and the start of February. 

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When Thiero returned healthy, so were the Lakers, who don’t have many minutes to go around for a rookie trying to find his way. 

Thiero played garbage time in the four games he’s played with the Lakers entering Thursday’s game against the Bulls since making his return from the right knee injury.

“It’s been a kind of a stop-and-start year for him,” Redick said. “But we’re very confident in him and what he’s gonna be in this league.”

Redick added: “As far as it relates to our rotation, I have a hard enough time when we’re healthy getting everybody minutes as it is. But I think our staff, myself, I know myself, because I was the one pushing forward earlier in the year, definitely want to get him opportunities. Those opportunities are not there right now. That’s just the reality.” 

The 2025-26 season was always meant to be a development year for Thiero. 

And the nature of his injuries has made it more challenging for him to get consistent run with the Lakers — a team that could use any jolt of athleticism on the perimeter. 

But Thiero’s time will come, likely next season.

For now, the Lakers will continue to use the G League to get Thiero the playing opportunities he needs to be the type of wing the team will need beyond this season.

“He needs to play basketball,” Redick said. “We had a great conversation last week just about the importance of being down there (in the G League) and really just being coached and working on the right habits. He’s been really good. And I think he’s in a good spot to sort of embrace that.”