Overview

• The Lakers moved up from No. 55 to No. 36 on June 27 through two draft-day trades to select Adou Thiero, targeting his athletic wing defense.
• General manager Rob Pelinka confirmed that scouts had Thiero in their first-round projections and credited Jeanie Buss’s support for enabling the aggressive draft-day maneuver.
• At Arkansas, Thiero averaged 1.6 steals per game and frequently modeled his defensive approach on OG Anunoby and Jrue Holiday’s lockdown techniques.
• Coach John Calipari publicly warned teams they would regret passing on Thiero, calling him a first-round caliber player ahead of the draft.
• Now gearing up for the Las Vegas Summer League, Thiero said he will embrace any assignment Coach JJ Redick entrusts to earn playing time.