The Lakers continued their aggressive push in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft, trading up for the second time Thursday to take Adou Thiero out of Arkansas at No. 36.
Thiero was taken after the Lakers sent the No. 45 pick—which they had acquired earlier from the Bulls in a deal for No. 55—along with cash, to the Timberwolves, climbing 19 spots from where they started the day.
Thiero's the name that crystalized for the Lakers throughout the day as a target. Per sources, there was interest from Sacramento at No. 42. https://t.co/FuoRbT529P
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) June 27, 2025
At 6-foot-8-inches with a 7-foot wingspan, Thiero possesses the ideal size and length for a forward in today's NBA. The one thing that stands out most in his college tape is his athleticism and using it to his advantage at the rim, especially as a dunker, averaging 54.5% (2nd best in the SEC) from the field for the Razorbacks.
After his first two years at Kentucky under John Calipari, averaging 7.2 points (21.4 minutes a game) for the Wildcats, Thiero followed Calipari to Arkansas for his junior year.
He would go on to have a monster season for the Razorbacks in a bigger role, starting 26 out of 27 games, where he averaged 15.1 points and 5.8 rebounds—jumping from 7.2 points a game from his sophomore year.
Thiero is a solid defender who uses his length and quickness on the ball, nabbing 1.6 steals a game last season.
His outside shooting and staying consistent from deep is a big question mark for Thiero going to the next level. He shot 28.4% from 3 in his collegiate career, attempting just 1.6 triples (a career high) a game for 25.6% at Arkansas.
Thiero comes from a basketball family; his father, Almamy, also played for Calipari at Memphis, and his mother, Mariam, was drafted 33rd overall by the Washington Mystics in the 2006 WNBA Draft.
The Lakers also made a splash in the undrafted market, signing Villanova's senior forward Eric Dixon to a two-way contract. Dixon led all of college basketball in scoring last season, averaging 23.3 points on 40.7% shooting from 3.