JJ Redick is still sorting through a Lakers roster that remains very much in progress, and Adou Thiero is one of the names worth watching as the preseason rolls on.
The Lakers are set to play their third exhibition game Thursday night, hosting the Sacramento Kings at Crypto.com Arena, and there are still plenty of moving parts for Redick to evaluate before the regular-season opener on Oct. 21 against the Golden State Warriors. Walker Kessler has yet to make his debut in purple and gold, which only adds to the uncertainty around how this group will come together.
Thiero has been one of the more talked-about players around the team since the end of last season and into the summer. The second-year forward out of Arkansas has the kind of athletic gifts that jump off the page, but he’s also still a raw prospect who is learning how to put everything together on the floor.
The problem, at least up to this point, has been availability. Injuries have limited his chances to show what he can do, though that has changed recently, giving Redick and his staff a real look at the 22-year-old, via Spectrum SportsNet.
One concern with Thiero’s game is that his explosiveness can push him into risky territory. His athleticism is obvious, but it can also make him reckless at times.
That showed up in the preseason loss to the Warriors, when Thiero powered home a dunk over two defenders and came down awkwardly. It was a tense moment, the kind that could have ended a lot worse.
After that game, Thiero said he needs to be smarter about the risks he takes when he goes above the rim.
There’s plenty to like beyond the highlight-reel athleticism, though. Thiero has the tools to become a disruptive defender, and he’s already learning from veteran newcomer Matisse Thybulle, the team’s best perimeter defender.
"JJ came in and let us know straightforward what it was and I feel like we did a better job going out there and meeting his expectations."
Thiero also offered this on the team’s message and his own usage: "JJ came in and let us know straightforward what it was and I feel like we did a better job going out there and meeting his expectations." Adou Thiero (17 MIN, 7 PTS, and 4 REB) discusses the message JJ told the team in the locker room at half and when to use his athleticism. pic.twitter.com/J1xrMiMxND
With Thybulle already flashing his usual perimeter impact, and with Kessler still not in the mix in the paint, Thiero has a clear path to carve out a role if he keeps earning trust over the next few weeks.
That possibility matters because one of the biggest takeaways from the Lakers’ first preseason game - a blowout win over the Kings in Sacramento - was that this team can defend. If Thiero continues to develop and stays on the floor, he could become part of that identity during the final three preseason games.
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