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Los Angeles’ crosstown rivalry reignited Tuesday about 300 miles away from their respective arenas.
A potential highlight transition dunk from Adou Thiero turned into a hard foul, deemed reckless enough to be upgraded to a flagrant. Some extra pushing and shoving followed, resulting in technicals.
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Thiero and the Summer League Lakers brushed off the mini scuffle and went on to win their fifth straight game, including three in a row to remain undefeated in Las Vegas. The purple and gold’s 36th overall pick from a year ago finished with 13 points, six rebounds, a steal and a block in 27 minutes.
As has been the case all summer, the numbers don’t do justice to the impact of his athletic force on both ends of the floor. With the Lakers roster clearly devoid of athletic wings, it gives way for Thiero to make his case for a real potential spot on the floor.
Even while entering only 25 games last year due to injuries, Thiero has played 100 more minutes than the next-closest player on the Summer League roster. In this summer exhibition environment, experienced second-year players are relied on to lead their teams.
On offense, there’s not much coloring outside the lines. It’s a simple but effective diet of relentless drives to the basket as he’s determined to get downhill with force at any opportunity. Without many playmakers to accompany him, Thiero is relied on as a main creator to manufacture paint touches and kickouts. In Vegas, he’s second on the team in assists.
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He’s oscillated between being a screener and operating in the short roll and running actions as the ball handler, as shown below. Watch as he gets a ghost screen from fellow summer standout Cameron Carr. A bump of the shoulder sends his defender flying before he dips into his bag for a hard gather crossover finish at the basket.
These drives and paint touches collapse the defense, creating ample opportunities to be a playmaker. After a few rough games in the California Classic while getting his feet under him, Thiero’s shown much better poise on his drives. Rather than force off-balance shots at the rim, he opted to…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/could-adou-thiero-fill-lakers-205758575.html
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Publish date : 2026-07-16 20:57:00
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