Adou Thiero made his NBA debut in Milwaukee for the Lakers after being out for months with a knee injury. Not only did he score the first point of his career at the free throw line, but he also had his first actual basket on a dunk late in the fourth quarter.
“I heard them,” Thiero said of his teammates. “Whenever I dunked the ball, I could hear them. That was pretty hype. But coming down seeing everyone flexing all over the bench, it’s just a good feeling for everybody to be happy for me.”
After the final buzzer, the Lakers went to secure the game ball from the official to give to Thiero in the locker room. For some reason, though, the official refused to allow the Lakers to take the ball.
Eventually, Giannis used his hometown power to take control of the situation and give the Lakers the ball.
“It’s great just to see him out there,” Luka Dončić said. “Obviously, he had the knee injury. I think he can be a great player. He’s physical. He can jump out of the gym and he’s a fighter. So, I was really happy to see him out there.
“You always remember your first points. I still have the ball [from mine]. I know it’ll mean a lot to him to keep that at home.”
Everyone pretty immediately took notice of what Giannis did, including Adou’s father.
Overall, it was a brief, but encouraging, cameo from Thiero. After not playing organizaed basketball for the better part of nine months, Thiero stepped onto an NBA floor for the first time on Saturday and still made positive plays.
“Excited for him,” head coach JJ Redick said. “We were talking during our coaches meeting this afternoon and, like, we’re throwing a guy in there who hasn’t played and didn’t get a preseason and he’s a rookie and he’s coming off an injury. Even in the first half in his run, he had a couple real banshee-like plays: the offensive crash, the 50/50 ball on the defensive end, verticality. I’m excited to see his development throughout the season.”
It was a fun night for Thiero and the Lakers and, fortunately, one that also ended on a high note thanks to future Laker Giannis.
