For several players on the Los Angeles Lakers roster, the first preseason matchup against the Sacramento Kings will not matter too much. Adou Thiero does not fall into that camp. Every preseason game will be an opportunity for him to prove himself ahead of the regular season.
Thiero knows it. The young forward talked to Khobi Price and the other reporters present ahead of Monday night's tilt. He did not downplay just how much a strong preseason can do for him, showcasing an eagerness to go out there and make his case.
"I feel like I have a pretty a great opportunity in front of me considering the guys that aren't here anymore. Everybody's still trying to figure out where to be at, so that gives me an opportunity."
What Thiero said is nothing short of the truth. Plenty of players who could have taken minutes away from him are gone this year. LeBron James left for the Philadephia 76ers. Rui Hachimura joined the crosstown rivals. Even guys like Marcus Smart or Luke Kennard, who could overlap to some degree with Adou, are with new teams.
Minutes need to be filled. Thiero just needs to give JJ Redick enough reason to trust him and believe in the development.
Adou Thiero can make his case for a rotation spot during Lakers preseason
The good news for Thiero? Redick already sounded pretty impressed with where the athletic forward was at heading into training camp. The Lakers coach gave a glowing review of Adou at the start-of-season press conference for the franchise.
Remember, Redick did want to get Thiero involved last season. Poorly-timed injury luck hurt the chances of that happening. Adou has arrived for this Lakers campaign understanding that being available to receive opportunities is a big part of the equation for him.
There are several reasons to believe Thiero can make good on carving out a role in the rotation.
On top of what Adou said above, the depth at the position invites open competition. There are also specific niches that Thiero can fill on this Lakers team.
A great example would be using his athleticism to secure playing time as a small-ball five (on defense) in lineups where Sandro Mamukelashvili is operating as the backup center. Being able to consistently scale up defensively would do wonders for Thiero.
Thiero's first chance to prove himself malleable and deployable comes against the Kings on Monday. If that fails, there will be four other chances for redemption. Seizing the opportunities now can turn into a season's worth of more to come.
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