Adou Thiero adjusts to rookie season in LA (Exclusive)

The Los Angeles Lakers they entered the 2025 NBA draft without a first-round pick, but by the end of the night, they felt like they had first-round talent. The The Lakers traded up in the NBA draft and selected Adou Thier with the 36th overall pick, and during the post-draft segment with Spectrum Sports, general manager Rob Pelinka explained that Thier was projected by the team’s scouting staff as a top talent.

Pelinka highlighted the need to rejuvenate and be more athletic on the wings, and Tiero certainly fit that description. He also mentioned how Thierry’s profile fits particularly well with the team’s star of the future, Luka Doncic.

“To be able to get a player like Adou, who can catch corner lobs when Luka is making decisions in the paint, I think will be really special,” Pelinka said after the draft. “He’s just a big, big-shouldered, big-chested guy that’s going to play defense and add some physicality and athleticism to our roster.”

Unfortunately for Adou Thiero, his rookie debut with the Lakers has been delayed as he is still recovering from a knee injury. He suffered an injury during his final season at Arkansas, and it kept him out of summer league, all of training camp and the preseason.

He was not cleared to return until mid-November, and made his NBA debut on November 15 during the Lakers’ win against the Milwaukee Bucks. Tiero scored his first career points in that game, and the team had to go through quite a bit of trouble to get him the game ball. Doncic ended up handing the ball to Thierry, something he didn’t believe was for him at first.

“At first I didn’t know they were getting the ball for me. I thought Luca did something, some Luca magic. I thought he was just trying to get the game ball for himself. Everyone was just trying to get him the game ball,” Tiero told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. “He was walking around, tapping everything, and then he gave me the game ball. It was just a great feeling.”

“Getting a game ball from my first NBA game from Luka Doncic. It’s not something that a lot of people, a lot of rookies go through,” Tiero continued. “Just to have teammates like that go and get the ball for me and make sure I got my first NBA ball that I scored with, that was big. That’s cool.”

Adou Thiero is getting reps with the South Bay Lakers

While Adou Thiero has already appeared in several games during his rookie season with the Lakers, he will also get time in the G League with the Lakers’ South Bay affiliate. The Lakers used the G League to land Bronie James developmental reps last season, and he’s looked more confident as the year has gone on.

With every NBA team having an affiliate, the G League became a training ground of sorts for young NBA players when playing time was scarce with the regular roster. Tiero made his G League debut on Nov. 21 and finished with 19 points, four rebounds and three steals while looking like the best player on the court.

That’s it with South Bay that Thiero will be able to sharpen skills that made him an attractive prospect for the Lakers.

Tiero is a natural winger, but in the games he played with South Bay, he showed the ability to handle the ball and be a playmaker. In just his second game in the G League, he had four assists, which was second on the team behind only Bronie James, who is a natural point guard.

He won’t always get a chance to handle the ball with the Lakers, but South Bay allows him to get reps with the ball in his hands.

“I’ve been a point guard my whole life, so I still have those tendencies,” Tiero said. “But it’s just knowing whenever I have two on me, or just knowing where the open guy is going to be, just to get that ball to my teammates. I trust them to knock down the shot or make the next play.”

Tierro has appeared in three games with South Bay thus far, giving him a decent feel for the level of competition in the G League. It’s not always an easy place for young NBA players to play.

“Everybody’s trying to prove something or trying to get back to the team’s original roster,” Tiero said. You have to bring it every game on the other side, they definitely bring it and try to prove themselves.”

Opportunity for Lakers Adu Tierra

The Lakers have suffered multiple injuries this season, and after Thierry’s stint in the G League, he was immediately called into action during the team’s long road trip that began in December. There was one game in particular, the Lakers’ win against the Toronto Raptors on Dec. 4, where he showed why the organization drafted him.

Tiero finished with just four points, one rebound, one assist and one steal in 10 minutes, but he showed the kind of athleticism and defensive intensity the Lakers have needed this season. Since JJ Redick is the head coach of the Lakers, he preaches the ‘Banshee’ mentality. That is, a player who is essentially all in and gives maximum effort on the field, especially defensively.

When Thiero first heard Redick talk about that type of mentality, he knew right away that he would fit in with this group.

“When he said that, I felt like that already described me. That’s how I’ve played before. Every time I step on the floor, I try to give you 100 percent,” Tiero said. “I just do the little things that put my team in the best position to win. So when he says they’re looking for someone to do that, I look at it as something I’m already doing. So let me try to perfect it.”

Thierry was recently diagnosed with a sprained right MCLkeeping it aside for at least four weeks. It’s a blow to Lakers fans who had hoped to see him integrated into the team amid their recent struggles.

But for a veteran team looking to compete this season, this was always going to be a developmental year for Tierra, especially after the injury. The organization will likely play it safe until the end of the year, and he will no doubt get his chance in the future.