The Los Angeles Lakers roped in rookie Adou Thiero with their 36th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft last week, but unfortunate news comes before him making his debut in the NBA Summer League. He will be missing the tournament because of a left knee injury.
What happened to Los Angeles Lakers rookie Adou Thiero?
This is the injury that was carried over from his time with Arkansas, which made him miss the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer Leagues. There is still no exact date to when he will return to action but it might happen after the Summer League. He will be available for the training camp to prepare for the upcoming 2025-26 NBA season.
During his time with the Arkansas, Adou Thiero averaged 15.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. He was well known for his two-way ability after putting up 1.6 steals per game while shooting 54.5 percent from the field.
It will be an opportunity gone for Adou Thiero as he will miss out on playing alongside Bronny James and Dalton Knecht, who were drafted last season. The 2025 Summer League would have been a great platform for Thiero to portray his abilities on the court and prove his mettle to the LA Lakers for upcoming season. He faces an uphill task ahead of him as his position is occupied by LeBron James, Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic.
The Los Angeles Lakers will be taking on Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, LA Clippers and Boston Celtics in the 2025 Summer League.
Adou Thiero explains what he brings to the table for LA Lakers
Adou Thiero is well known for his defensive abilities which would be crucial for the Lakers next season. After being drafted by the Lakers, Adou Thiero mentioned that he was studying some of the league's top defenders before becoming a young prospect in the NBA.
I watch a lot of defenders. Trying to pick up on what they do in the league, that is a different level, Thiero said.
It is a lot of different stuff offensive players do in the league, so just trying to pick up off of OG Anunoby, Jrue Holiday, he is a great defender. Just picking up on what they do, watching how they play defense, he added.
It will be interesting to see how Adou Thiero does when he makes his debut for the Los Angeles Lakers in the upcoming 2025-26 NBA season.