Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick announced when Adou Thiero will play after his injury status was upgraded.
Thiero was upgraded to available for Friday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans, though he did not play. Instead, the Lakers opted to ease the rookie into the rotation.
The Arkansas second-round pick had knee surgery during his last collegiate season, which limited his activity during the offseason and ruled him out for training camp and preseason.
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According to Redick, Thiero will play on Saturday for the Lakers’ last game of their current road trip.
“I mean, in terms of his growth, I haven’t seen him play yet. I’ve seen him practice, do modified practice, but the growth comes on the court,” the Lakers coach said in a pre-game press conference.
“I would expect him to play tomorrow, there’s no decision tonight. But if he is available, and all goes well over the next 24 hours, I’m hoping he gets some run at some point in the next 48 hours.”
JJ Redick says he expects for rookie forward Adou Thiero to play and make his NBA debut tomorrow at Milwaukee pic.twitter.com/kju7XmMsZy
— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) November 14, 2025
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The Lakers play the Bucks on Saturday, ending their five-game road trip after going 2-2 in the first four games.
Thiero could have played against the Pelicans, but the Lakers chose to be more cautious, aligning with what Redick said the organization wanted to do.
“We’ve just got to manage him coming from knee surgery and to be quite frank with you, he was not our player when he had the surgery,” Redick said, per Khobi Price of The Orange County Register.
“So we did not have control over what he did for the three months after the surgery. So it’s really about playing the long game with him.
“We look at this year as a developmental year and there’s no reason for us to push his body and create a long-term problem. His knee is in a really good spot, we just want to be really careful.”
During his final season at Arkansas, Thiero played 27 games, averaging 27.5 minutes, 15.1 points, 1.9 assists, and 5.8 rebounds. While his offensive game is still developing, he can provide high-energy minutes and strong defense.
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