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FAYETTEVILLE -- Dalton Knecht, Bronny James and former Arkansas Razorback Adou Thiero form the Los Angeles Lakers' last three NBA Draft picks as of Thursday night when the draft concluded at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
"I'm ready to go in and do whatever," Thiero said on the Spectrum SportsNet broadcast Thursday after he was drafted. "Do whatever I gotta do to see the floor, help the team, just doing whatever Coach JJ (Redick) need(s) me to do."
Knecht was the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and produced the second-best three-point percentage among qualified rookies last season. James, the son of the NBA's all-time scoring leader LeBron James, was taken 55th overall in the second round in 2024.
The Lakers owned the identical 55th slot in this year's draft. But they weren't satisfied. They traded up to 45th then once more to No. 36 to snag Thiero. Last November, Lebron James said he thought it would be "impossible" that Knecht, the 2024 SEC Player of the Year, would have slid to 17th.
Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka shared that line of thinking with Thiero. Once he slid, in their eyes, they made sure to go out and get him.
"We were super aggressive to begin the day," Pelinka said on Spectrum SportsNet. "Knowing that we didn't have a first-round pick, Adou was projected by our scouts as a first-round talent. ... One of the things we needed to address is to get younger and more athletic on the wings. Being able to get a player like Adou that can catch lobs from the corner when Luka (Doncic) is making paint decisions, I think is going to be really special. Big shoulders, big chest, a guy that's going to play defense and add some physicality and athleticism to our roster."
Most national draft grades love the move. Yahoo Sports graded the pick as an "A" as did CBS Sports. ESPN wasn't far behind at B-plus, while The Athletic's John Hollinger liked the value and the upside, which reappeared in other reports. So did the fact that Thiero is lauded for his defensive potential (2.4 steals, 1.1 blocks per 40 minutes), but most critiqued on the need to develop his three-point shot in today's NBA. Besides the highlight reel of acrobatic and powerful dunks, Thiero shot 25.6% from beyond the arc for the Razorbacks and 28.4% in three seasons of college.
Hollinger wrote, "he'll have a chance to compete for minutes right away on this roster."
"I feel like, just working on everything," Thiero said. "I'm not, I don't got nothing -- I wouldn't say there's something specific. I probably should get the shot consistent, but working on my whole craft. I'm just excited to do that, get around guys who just want to keep working and just learn from them."
Thiero said he often studies NBA defenders, namely the New York Knicks' OG Anunoby and recent Portland Trail Blazer acquisition Jrue Holiday. The latter has six NBA All-Defensive team nominations. Anunoby has another.
"He's a beast," Pelinka said of Thiero. "Obviously, we're gonna get him in the weight room and get him conditioned. But I think the tools that he has, you could really see a vision for him to being one of those really elite, physical, athletic wings that are so necessary to winning in the league."
Something Pelinka said that may have been glossed over is the idea of Thiero catching lob passes from Doncic, the league's scoring leader in 2023-24 and whose trade in February from the Dallas Mavericks was a blockbuster. Thiero, 21, will now suddenly be playing for the organization that houses household names like Doncic and LeBron James, a four-time MVP.
"It's definitely crazy, cause it was like I was just watching them on TV," Thiero said. "I was at a couple of Laker games, the playoffs. It's still crazy to think about right now. I still haven't, I still haven't made peace with it. I don't think I will anytime soon."
Pelinka said he and Redick hosted Thiero weeks ago and took him to lunch to learn his character, deeming it an important part of the equation.
"He's a great young man and hungry to get better and learn and grow, and we feel like we have a great player development staff here and super excited about all that," Pelinka added.
The Lakers will open the NBA Summer League on July 5 in the California Classic. As predicted, Thiero was the only Razorback to be drafted. His Arkansas teammate Johnell Davis reportedly will join the Orlando Magic in the Summer League, according to Jon Chepkevich, director of scouting for draftexpress.com. Davis was second in scoring in the recent Portsmouth Invitational, an annual showcase for college seniors.
The Magic begin their summer league games July 10 in Las Vegas and are not scheduled to play the Lakers.
Matt Byrne is the Bob Holt Razorback Reporter, named in honor of the longtime reporter who covered University of Arkansas sports. This position is funded by the ADG Community Journalism Project.