The Los Angeles Lakers have made a concerted effort during the 2026 offseason to redefine the manner in which they play. That's generally centered around the perimeter, where they've brought in the likes of Cameron Carr, Quentin Grimes, Matisse Thybulle, and Ziaire Williams.
Compounded by their efforts to trade Jarred Vanderbilt, the Lakers have made it clear that they want defensive-minded wings who can at least hold teams accountable from 3. Adou Thiero must take note.
Carr is an athletic 3-and-D prospect with potential as a shot creator. Grimes is an established contributor who offers quality defense alongside catch-and-shoot proficiency from beyond the arc and respectable complementary playmaking.
Thybulle and Williams, meanwhile, are athletic defenders who can at least hold opposing teams accountable as shooters.
Vanderbilt, meanwhile, is reportedly being shopped as the Lakers look to move off of his salary and complete a sign-and-trade for Jonathan Kuminga. There are financial motivations, of course, but Vanderbilt is also the odd man out when one looks at the guards and forwards Los Angeles appears to be prioritizing.
Though not every player is a knockdown shooter, even the inefficient players from beyond the arc are close enough to average that they can hold opponents accountable. Thiero needs to be able to do the same.
Lakers are prioritizing wings who can defend and shoot—not one or the other
Williams is a subpar shooter, but he's buried at least 34.1 percent of his attempts in each of the past two seasons. Grimes shot a career-worse 33.4 percent from beyond the arc in 2025-26, but still converted 38.3 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes. Even Thybulle, long regarded as a poor shooter, has buried 41.1 percent of his 141 attempts over the past two seasons.
As for Carr, the incoming rookie shot 37.4 percent on 206 three-point field goal attempts during the 2025-26 college basketball season.
Each of those figures seem to reveal what Los Angeles has set as an apparent bare minimum. It's not that everyone needs to be an elite three-point shooter, but that they must at least be able to convert what is effectively one in every three attempts on average to warrant consideration.
Expressing interest in Kuminga might seem to be a counterpoint, but even he's right up against the line at 33.2 percent for his career.
Defense is critical, but it isn't the only factor
With this in mind, Thiero needs to work on his outside shot and get to the point where he can shoot at a high enough level that teams can't sag off of him. That doesn't mean it's the only area in which he must improve, but it's an inherent element of being able to thrive in a system run by Luka Doncic.
With Walker Kessler already a non-shooter at center, the Lakers will simply find it difficult to play Thiero with the starters if he's unable to at least make it believable that he could convert.
Beyond the 2025-26 season, it's pivotal to remember that Vanderbilt was once a coveted player in Los Angeles himself. Injuries have played an unavoidable role in his apparent decline in perception, but his lack of an outside shot has made his value situational and thus difficult to justify at his current price.
As Thiero looks to not only secure minutes but eventually work his way toward an extension, seeing how the Lakers' priorities have changed should be in the front of his mind.
Add us as a preferred source on Google