There are a lot of worries in Los Angeles right now regarding Adou Thiero and his recovery from knee injury. For those Los Angeles Lakers fans, it is important to remember a quote from a sports star in a different league: R-E-L-A-X.
The Lakers traded up to snag Thiero with the 36th overall pick in the NBA Draft. The hype train for the ridiculous athlete immediately ramped up after the fact. However, his knee has never let it properly take off.
Lakers rookie Adou Thiero told reporters at media day that he is experiencing swelling in his knee and has not been cleared for the start of training camp.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) September 29, 2025
This is not the problem that some think it is. Dave McMenamin specified that Thiero is 'in line with the team's recovery timeline.'
Jovan Buha then reminded everyone on a recent episode of his podcast to keep an important perspective on the situation here. Thiero was never meant to play a large role in the upcoming season anyways. There is no reason to panic.
Buha said, "This seems to be another one where they are just being a little cautious. I don't know if setback is an appropriate term here, but [he] did have some swelling pop up. JJ [Redick] noted that this is a development year for Thiero. ... No real red flags here."
Lakers playing the long game with Adou Thiero’s development
Thiero working his way into the rotation during his rookie year would have been a nice surprise. However, there was no notion of that ever really being the plan for Redick and the Lakers coaching staff.
If they are going to take their time bringing Thiero along and getting him up to speed with how they want to play basketball, and utilizing him, there is all the more reason for the Lakers to take the extra cautious approach that is being seen with the injury recovery now.
Buha did note that Thiero had his knee surgery before he was a member of the franchise. They did not have control over the rehab process, which the Lakers reporter thought could mean Los Angeles was not particularly thrilled with the handling of it.
If that is the case, it offers all the more reason for patience to be exercised when it comes to ensuring their exciting prospect can be an impact player down the road. The 2025-26 season was never the goal for Thiero to be a difference-maker.
The former Arkansas product was a force in his junior season. Thiero averaged 15.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game for the Razorbacks.
However, the 3-point shot was always something the Lakers would need to spend time with him on developing, if he was going to hit the heights of his NBA ceiling. That behind the scenes work is what his rookie season was meant for. The extra caution in positioning him for that development year should not force anyone to be alarmed.