New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby has taken center stage during the NBA Finals and the playoffs at large. His smothering defense and timely scoring have proven essential for a Knicks team that's now just two wins away from winning its first championship since 1973.
Though Anunoby has set a high bar that may be unrealistic for Adou Thiero to reach, the Los Angeles Lakers forward should be paying close attention to how the Knicks star has found his niche.
Anunoby is a truly unique player given his combination of size, strength, length, athleticism, and skill. In many ways, he's the prototype that doesn't actually exist outside of a select few players. At 6'7" and 240 pounds with a 7'2.25" wingspan, the physical measurements alone are tough to come by.
Throw in Anunoby's explosive athleticism, precise body control, defensive versatility, and three-level scoring proficiency, and he's every team's dream wing.
Expecting Thiero to check each of those boxes would be premature, if not irrational, but he's already in rare air physically. At 22 years of age, he measures at 6'8" and 220 pounds with a 7'0" wingspan and eye-opening athleticism—vertically, laterally, and even horizontally for that matter.
Thiero has a long road to travel before he even begins to play at the level Anunoby has reached in year nine, but there's still a lot he can learn about how to thrive in similar ways.
OG Anunoby is the archetypal comparison for Adou Thiero's potential
Thiero's final collegiate season shed light on his all-around two-way potential. He posted averages that translated to marks of 21.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 offensive boards, 2.4 steals, and 1.1 blocks per 40 minutes on .545/.256/.686 shooting.
Those are eerily similar numbers to those from Anunoby's final collegiate season: 17.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.8 offensive boards, 2.1 steals, and 2.1 blocks per 40 minutes on .557/.311/.563 shooting.
Anunoby deserves a surplus of credit for putting in the work to become an efficient shooter in the NBA. Whether fair or foul, Thiero is by no means guaranteed to experience the same success in that capacity. If Anunoby's growth has proven anything, however, it's that a reliable jumper can change everything for an athletic wing.
From there, it's a matter of refining the untapped potential they both possessed in the early stages of their respective careers and turning it into something meaningful.
For Thiero, that will mean following Anunoby's lead in becoming more disciplined on both ends of the floor. Offensively, it will be a matter of controlling himself more on the drive. Defensively, it will be continuing to take on tough assignments and flying around the court, but limiting fouls.
It can't be said enough how far Thiero is from even scratching the surface of Anunoby's current level of play, but the 2026 NBA Playoffs are proving that he has the perfect player to pattern his game after.
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