With Adou Thiero working his way back from knee injury, the Los Angeles Lakers and their fans have yet to see how the rookie wing fits in with this year's roster. The feeling of playing time being unavailable for him during his first season in the NBA may be quickly disappearing.
Many have been under the impression that it would not happen altogether, and this would mostly be a development year for Thiero. It should still be largely viewed as such. However, on-court reps with the Lakers could be available for him now.
Dave McMenamin reported, "Lakers rookie Adou Thiero has been cleared for live on-court contact work, per the Lakers. He has been assigned to the South Bay Lakers, to continue his progression towards 5-on-5 play by joining South Bay’s training camp."
Depending on how quickly Thiero gets up to speed with South Bay, the opportunity to get some minutes with Los Angeles are on the table. Injuries have quickly become a theme
Lakers’ injury woes could open the door for Adou Thiero to prove himself
It is worth noting that the wings remain a relatively healthy position. Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Jake LaRavia have
However, LeBron James has been out for the entire season thus far. Marcus Smart has popped in and out of the lineup. With others being forced to step into larger roles as a result, that should offer up minutes for Thiero.
The discussion here is not about giving the rookie wing anything extreme like 25 minutes off the bench in a Sixth Man role, or anything of the sort. Situationally, though, there should be opportunities for Thiero to find around 10 minutes of relief action.
That may not sound like the sexiest conversation to have. However, every chance to get on the court for a young player like him can be an important step of his development.
Rob Pelinka and the front office went out of their way to move up for Thiero in the 2025 NBA Draft. They clearly like what they saw on the tape when the athletic forward was at Arkansas. Why not take the opportunity to get samples of what he looks like in the rotation with a banged up Lakers squad?
