Adou Thiero on his role and his improvement during summer league play

[ASFN Admin]

The Los Angeles Lakers and their fans are hoping that Adou Thiero will soon develop into a rotation player at the NBA level. The incoming second-year forward was riddled with injuries and barely played as a rookie, but he has shown flashes of potential so far during summer league play.

On Friday, during the Lakers' first game of the main summer league in Las Vegas, he scored a game-high 20 points and made eight of his 14 shot attempts. The following night, he went just 4-of-12 from the field but still managed to put up 15 points.

After Friday's 96-84 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Thiero said that he's trying to fill the defensive roles that the Lakers need help with.

“Just trying to go out there and cause havoc,” Thiero said. “JJ [Redick], he says the things he wants, we need a point-of-attack, on-ball defender and everything. So, just trying to go out there and be that, trying to get the reps and defending and then, offensively, just trying to play basketball, just trying to make the game more simple for myself.”

Point-of-attack defense is definitely something L.A. has lacked for a while. If Thiero, who is 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds, can effectively guard opposing ball-handlers, it would greatly increase his chances of getting into Redick's rotation.

He also said he feels he's making progress and that one thing in particular is helping him.

“I feel like I was capable of doing this,” Thiero said. “It’s not different from things I was doing in the G League last year. I feel like I got real comfortable in the G League, how to play and everything and just took that break and still trying to get back to healthy and everything and finally getting to go out and play. I just feel like I sped myself up a little bit and now I’m slowing down and letting the game come to me.”

Thiero is a rim-seeker on offense, and he has the tendency to look like a bull in a china shop while attacking off the dribble. That was certainly true during the California Classic about a week ago, but in two games in Las Vegas, it looks like he's slashing in a somewhat more refined way, which has allowed him to convert at the rim more often.

His outstanding athleticism allows him to get out in transition and finish strong, and he has gotten several easy dunks in such situations in his last two contests.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Adou Thiero on his role and his improvement during summer league play

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