3 reasons Adou Thiero could steal the fifth starter spot
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3 reasons Adou Thiero could steal the fifth starter spot
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 18: Adou Thiero #1 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on in the second half of a 2026 NBA Summer League semifinal game against the Golden State Warriors at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 18, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Most fans seem to agree that second-year Lakers forward Adou Thiero isn’t quite ready to open the season in the starting lineup.
However, the 2025 second-round draft pick displayed three traits during his brief G League and Summer League stints that suggest he may be less “two years away from being two years away” and closer to being mere months away from permanently stealing LA’s fifth starting spot.
So, while he almost assuredly will not open the season in the starting lineup, it’s a long season, and Thiero is a young player who could develop fast. If he does, these are the most likely reasons he slides past the competition into that starting lineup.
Superhero athleticism and explosiveness
In Adou’s G League appearances, the bouncy youngster often spotted a driving angle and exploded past his defender with such force and speed that most hapless opponents just fouled him. If he didn’t, he ended up watching Adou swing from the rim.
This pattern repeated throughout the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League tournaments. Thiero’s combo of elite athleticism and strength also showed up on the backboards. In Vegas, the human pogo-stick often jumped so high to chase a board that it looked like he was using a trampoline, finishing the summer averaging 6.2 rebounds per game.
Sure, the G League and Summer League aren’t the league. However, athletes with Adou’s size and strength are rare, even in the NBA.
When he steps onto the court, he is almost always the most athletic player. So, if Adou can keep focusing his elite athleticism on defense and rebounding while finding ways to use his explosiveness on offense, he may improve enough to literally and figuratively leap over the competition.
Speaking of improvement…
Rapid improvement
Thanks to an expanded media package, virtually every 2025-26 G League game appeared somewhere last season. Even so, fans didn’t see much of Adou.
The promising rookie only appeared in 10 games, averaging 22.5 minutes per contest. He also missed his whole rookie-year Summer League. As a result, it was initially hard to get a read on his game.
Sure, the explosiveness was always there. In fact, it sometimes seemed like rookie Adou would hammer down a dunk in the first few plays of every game he entered. He also looked like a viable 3-point shooter last year, completing 10 of his 20 attempts in those 10 appearances.
Still, he looked raw and several years of development away from harnessing his superhero frame and abilities.
Then the 2026 Summer League took place, and things suddenly changed.
While he started slowly, it was clear as far back as the California Classic that Adou hadn’t stopped working since the season ended. Sure, his 3-pointer looked rough all summer, with just one make in 10 attempts in Vegas. But several parts of his overall game looked significantly better.
LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 18: Adou Thiero #1 of the Los Angeles Lakers handles the ball during the game against the Golden State Warriors during the Semifinals on July 18, 2026 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Tom O'Connor/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
For example, Thiero’s on-ball defense and disruption looked like they were already at a plus NBA-wing level, a trait that came and went in his South Bay stints. This summer, as soon as he entered games, his relentless pressure regularly forced turnovers or had opposing ball handlers running away from switches.
Adou also looked light on his feet for his size, making it hard for all but the quickest players to get past him. He finished Vegas averaging a healthy 1.8 steals per game.
Perhaps most striking was Adou’s improvement as the summer progressed. Shots blocked at the rim in San Francisco and early Vegas games started turning into timely head fakes and easy lay-ins in later contests.
Adou’s improvement also showed up in ball handling and driving. Early in the summer, the fleet-footed forward repeatedly beat his man with an explosive first step only to dribble the ball off his feet or throw it out of bounds. Too often, those early drives produced a flash of explosiveness, followed too quickly by an unforced turnover.
Surprisingly, within just a few games, we saw this trend begin to change.
Lastly, Adou’s passing reads showed signs of improvement. Turnovers became quick hitters to open corner shooters. It wasn’t flawless. But like other parts of his game, you could see it improve in real time. Adou finished Vegas averaging three assists a game.
Of course, steady improvement doesn’t come without hard work. And achieving true greatness, like earning a starting spot as a second-year player, requires another, almost intangible quality that Thiero may also already possess.
The Eye of the Tiger
At the top of John Wooden’s infamous Pyramid of Success, the winningest college coach of all time placed a seemingly immeasurable quality. Above skill, poise, confidence, and a whole host of other critical traits, Wooden placed something he called “competitive greatness.”
Kobe Bryant sometimes described this ephemeral quality as hating to lose more than loving to win. As fans, we turned that belief, Kobe’s infamous work ethic, and his on-court success into the Mamba Mentality. Even today, that mantra has become as much a part of his legacy as any specific title or season.
But my personal favorite comes from the 1980s cinematic classic, Rocky III. In that iconic sports film, star Rocky Balboa’s former foe and current trainer, Apollo Creed, called the desire to win over anything else, “The eye of the tiger.”
Maybe I’m reading too much into his stern, potent brow or sharp, piercing eyes. But when I look at Adou, I see the eye of the tiger.
It wasn’t there in his G-League games last year, which could’ve been due to extended injury rehab or simply being a rookie. But even when Adou made more mistakes than he should have in his opening Summer League shifts, his face looked completely different from the start.
He looked more than serious. He looked mad. To be honest, he kind of looked like Kobe.
Sure, Adou’s prospects of becoming a high-level NBA player may ultimately lie with his ability to hit open threes at a respectable rate and little else.
But his combination of superhuman physical tools and proven ability to improve quickly with reps gives him a real shot at carving out a long career as a viable rotation player.
And, if I’m reading his steely-eyed gaze and relentless effort correctly, Adou may also employ a little bit of Mamba Mentality, Eye of the Tiger, or good old-fashioned John Wooden-style competitive greatness that accelerates his progress in a shorter time frame than most predict and helps the young man steal the Lakers’ fifth starting spot this season.
Given those three qualities, I’m betting on Adou.
Christopher Plain has spent the last six years as Associate News Editor and Head Science Reporter at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his novels at plainfiction.com, or email him at christopher@thedebrief.org.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 18: Adou Thiero #1 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on in the second half of a 2026 NBA Summer League semifinal game against the Golden State Warriors at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 18, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Most fans seem to agree that second-year Lakers forward Adou Thiero isn’t quite ready to open the season in the starting lineup.
However, the 2025 second-round draft pick displayed three traits during his brief G League and Summer League stints that suggest he may be less “two years away from being two years away” and closer to being mere months away from permanently stealing LA’s fifth starting spot.
So, while he almost assuredly will not open the season in the starting lineup, it’s a long season, and Thiero is a young player who could develop fast. If he does, these are the most likely reasons he slides past the competition into that starting lineup.
Superhero athleticism and explosiveness
In Adou’s G League appearances, the bouncy youngster often spotted a driving angle and exploded past his defender with such force and speed that most hapless opponents just fouled him. If he didn’t, he ended up watching Adou swing from the rim.
This pattern repeated throughout the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League tournaments. Thiero’s combo of elite athleticism and strength also showed up on the backboards. In Vegas, the human pogo-stick often jumped so high to chase a board that it looked like he was using a trampoline, finishing the summer averaging 6.2 rebounds per game.
Sure, the G League and Summer League aren’t the league. However, athletes with Adou’s size and strength are rare, even in the NBA.
When he steps onto the court, he is almost always the most athletic player. So, if Adou can keep focusing his elite athleticism on defense and rebounding while finding ways to use his explosiveness on offense, he may improve enough to literally and figuratively leap over the competition.
Speaking of improvement…
Rapid improvement
Thanks to an expanded media package, virtually every 2025-26 G League game appeared somewhere last season. Even so, fans didn’t see much of Adou.
The promising rookie only appeared in 10 games, averaging 22.5 minutes per contest. He also missed his whole rookie-year Summer League. As a result, it was initially hard to get a read on his game.
Sure, the explosiveness was always there. In fact, it sometimes seemed like rookie Adou would hammer down a dunk in the first few plays of every game he entered. He also looked like a viable 3-point shooter last year, completing 10 of his 20 attempts in those 10 appearances.
Still, he looked raw and several years of development away from harnessing his superhero frame and abilities.
Then the 2026 Summer League took place, and things suddenly changed.
While he started slowly, it was clear as far back as the California Classic that Adou hadn’t stopped working since the season ended. Sure, his 3-pointer looked rough all summer, with just one make in 10 attempts in Vegas. But several parts of his overall game looked significantly better.
LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 18: Adou Thiero #1 of the Los Angeles Lakers handles the ball during the game against the Golden State Warriors during the Semifinals on July 18, 2026 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Tom O’Connor/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
For example, Thiero’s on-ball defense and disruption looked like they were already at a plus NBA-wing level, a trait that came and went in his South Bay stints. This summer, as soon as he entered games, his relentless pressure regularly forced turnovers or had opposing ball handlers running away from switches.
Adou also looked light on his feet for his size, making it hard for all but the quickest players to get past him. He finished Vegas averaging a healthy 1.8 steals per game.
Perhaps most striking was Adou’s improvement as the summer progressed. Shots blocked at the rim in San Francisco and early Vegas games started turning into timely head fakes and easy lay-ins in later contests.
Adou’s improvement also showed up in ball handling and driving. Early in the summer, the fleet-footed forward repeatedly beat his man with an explosive first step only to dribble the ball off his feet or throw it out of bounds. Too often, those early drives produced a flash of explosiveness, followed too quickly by an unforced turnover.
Surprisingly, within just a few games, we saw this trend begin to change.
Lastly, Adou’s passing reads showed signs of improvement. Turnovers became quick hitters to open corner shooters. It wasn’t flawless. But like other parts of his game, you could see it improve in real time. Adou finished Vegas averaging three assists a game.
Of course, steady improvement doesn’t come without hard work. And achieving true greatness, like earning a starting spot as a second-year player, requires another, almost intangible quality that Thiero may also already possess.
The Eye of the Tiger
At the top of John Wooden’s infamous Pyramid of Success, the winningest college coach of all time placed a seemingly immeasurable quality. Above skill, poise, confidence, and a whole host of other critical traits, Wooden placed something he called “competitive greatness.”
Kobe Bryant sometimes described this ephemeral quality as hating to lose more than loving to win. As fans, we turned that belief, Kobe’s infamous work ethic, and his on-court success into the Mamba Mentality. Even today, that mantra has become as much a part of his legacy as any specific title or season.
But my personal favorite comes from the 1980s cinematic classic, Rocky III. In that iconic sports film, star Rocky Balboa’s former foe and current trainer, Apollo Creed, called the desire to win over anything else, “The eye of the tiger.”
Maybe I’m reading too much into his stern, potent brow or sharp, piercing eyes. But when I look at Adou, I see the eye of the tiger.
It wasn’t there in his G-League games last year, which could’ve been due to extended injury rehab or simply being a rookie. But even when Adou made more mistakes than he should have in his opening Summer League shifts, his face looked completely different from the start.
He looked more than serious. He looked mad. To be honest, he kind of looked like Kobe.
Sure, Adou’s prospects of becoming a high-level NBA player may ultimately lie with his ability to hit open threes at a respectable rate and little else.
But his combination of superhuman physical tools and proven ability to improve quickly with reps gives him a real shot at carving out a long career as a viable rotation player.
And, if I’m reading his steely-eyed gaze and relentless effort correctly, Adou may also employ a little bit of Mamba Mentality, Eye of the Tiger, or good old-fashioned John Wooden-style competitive greatness that accelerates his progress in a shorter time frame than most predict and helps the young man steal the Lakers’ fifth starting spot this season.
Given those three qualities, I’m betting on Adou.
Christopher Plain has spent the last six years as Associate News Editor and Head Science Reporter at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his novels at plainfiction.com, or email him at christopher@thedebrief.org.
