Adou Thiero is an athletic freak. If you did not watch any South Bay Lakers during 2025-26, you would be forgiven for missing out on a ton of moments that truly highlighted his gifts. Next season should be about getting that impact to shift over from the G League to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Thiero was flying all over the place with South Bay. It was a stark contrast to his minimal impact with the Lakers, apart from some experimentation JJ Redick played around with in the NBA Playoffs. His sophomore season in 2026-27 should be different.
The Lakers need to revamp the rotation, and it would be downright shocking if Thiero did not figure into those plans. The young forward should be a part of a revamped rotation at the forward spots. His athleticism is much wanted in the Luka Doncic era, and even resembles one of Luka's past running mates.
Derrick Jones Jr. had a lot of success with Doncic in the one season they shared the court as a part of the Dallas Mavericks. For all intents and purposes, that should be the model for Thiero to pursue in fitting around his franchise superstar for the foreseeable future.
Derrick Jones Jr. is the blueprint for Adou Thiero to mesh with Luka Doncic
Doncic and Jones enjoyed a trip to the NBA Finals together in 2024. That experience helped the Slam Dunk Champ get paid in the offseason that followed, too.
Jones made his money primarily from using his athleticism to become a formidable presence on the defensive end. One could often find the former Mavericks forward taking on some of the toughest defensive assignments the opposing teams had to offer.
That would be a huge desirable of Thiero from the Lakers. The Arkansas product is gifted enough to hone his skills into that type of wing defender. It is about polish, discipline, and basketball IQ from here.
Timely cuts to the basket made it easy for Doncic to find Jones for easy buckets during their time together in Dallas. That is an area where Luka and Thiero will hope to find immediate chemistry as well.
A big swing factor that helped Jones get paid was timely shooting. Back then, the former Maverick had his best season hitting the deep ball in the regular season at 34.3 percent. Jones managed to elevate that to an even more respectable 36.9 percent from beyond the arc in the playoffs.
This is where Thiero will need to catch up and have a similar breakout. Watching the young Laker will showcase a player whose shooting mechanics still require work. His follow-through is still a major point of concern when throwing on the tape.
If Thiero can improve in that department especially, the path will be there for him to grow alongside Doncic for a long time. Despite their short stint together, Luka and Jones clearly had great chemistry. That is what Thiero should be aspiring to next season.
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