Why is LA Lakers rookie Adou Thiero not playing in 2025 NBA Summer League?

The LA Lakers selected Adou Thiero with the 36th pick in the 2025 NBA draft last week, but unfortunate news will bar him from debuting for the team in this year’s NBA Summer League. Thiero will be missing the summer showcase due to a left knee injury.

Thiero’s injury carried over from his time with Arkansas, causing him to miss out on the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer Leagues.

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The 21-year-old is still expected to return to action in the weeks after the Summer League as his injury timeline will make him available for training camp to prepare for the 2025-2025 NBA season.

Standing at 6-foot-6, Thiero averaged 15.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game in his lone year with Arkansas. He was known for his two-way potential after putting up 1.6 steals per game while shooting 54.5 percent from the field.

In the Summer league, Thiero will be missing opportunities to play alongside Bronny James and Dalton Knecht, who were drafted last season.

The Summer League would have been Thiero’s chance to show his worth for the Lakers in the coming season, as his position remains occupied by valuable assets to the team, such as LeBron James, Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic.

The Lakers will be playing against the Dallas Mavericks, who are expected to field top pick Cooper Flagg, the New Orleans Pelicans, the LA Clippers and the Boston Celtics in the Summer League.

Adou Thiero explains what he will bring to the table for the Lakers

Adou Thiero’s bread-and-butter has been his defense, which could be pivotal for the Lakers next season. Describing his skills after being drafted, Thiero explained that he was studying some of the league’s top defenders en route to becoming a young prospect in the NBA.

“I watch a lot of defenders. Trying to pick up on what they do in the league, that is a different level,” Thiero said.

“It is a lot of different stuff offensive players do in the league, so just trying to pick up off of OG Anunoby, Jrue Holiday, he is a great defender. Just picking up on what they do, watching how they play defense,” he added.

It remains to be seen if Adou Thiero's defensive abilities would translate to the NBA once he finally suits up with the Lakers next season.

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About the author

Rob Andrew Lo

Rob Andrew Lo is an NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda with over three years of experience in the field. Rob studied journalism at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines and his love for sports made this an obvious career to pursue.

Rob's favorite team is the Oklahoma City Thunder. He grew up watching Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant and his admiration for them left not only a lasting impression but solidified his fandom.

When not working, Rob loves to play basketball. If he isn't watching or writing about basketball, he can probably be found watching pro wrestling.

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