Austin Reaves has stepped into a bigger role with the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason, and part of that job is helping bring along one of the team’s youngest newcomers.
That newcomer is Adou Thiero, a 22-year-old wing who has already flashed upside in short stretches last season and again in NBA Summer League. Reaves sees enough to invest time in him, and the way he’s handling that responsibility traces back to lessons he picked up from Rajon Rondo.
Reaves said he asked Rondo plenty of questions when he was trying to carve out his own place on the Lakers. Now Thiero is doing something similar with him, and Reaves is returning the favor by helping guide the second-year player through the early part of his development, via LoJo Media.
The timing fits the shape of this Lakers roster. The team went into the offseason focused on building around Luka Doncic with younger players and setting itself up for life after LeBron James. Los Angeles pulled that off with a roster that has just one player in his 30s, veteran center Kevon Looney.
The youth movement is clear beyond Thiero, too. The Lakers also brought in Cameron Carr, 21, Walker Kessler, 25, Quentin Grimes, 26, Collin Sexton, 27, and Sandro Mamukelashvili, 27. With so many younger pieces around him, Reaves has become one of the players expected to help set the tone.
That’s a role he’s prepared for. Early in his career, he had the benefit of learning from some of the biggest names to pass through the organization, including Rondo, James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony.
Even with that support system, Thiero remains a work in progress. He’s still raw, and one of the biggest points of emphasis is figuring out when to unleash his elite athleticism without putting himself in harm’s way. Head coach JJ Redick, though, clearly believes in what the Arkansas product can become.
As long as Thiero can stay healthy, he has a real path to keep developing and push for a place in Redick’s rotation heading into the 2026-27 NBA season.
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