One of the many storylines surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers in the very early stages of a new season is who will start at power forward.
As Lakers reporter Jovan Buha recently noted, the Lakers have — quite literally — numerous options.
“I think they need someone who can defend multiple positions,” Buha said during a recent episode of his podcast, “including some of the bigger wings and forwards, someone who can complement Luka and Walker Kessler on the defensive glass … I could make a case for as many as six players: Jake LaRavia, Ziaire Williams, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Jarred Vanderbilt, Adou Thiero and Matisse Thybulle.”
One player that catches eyeballs — or in this case, the ears of those who listened to the podcast — is Thiero, the 22-year-old high-flyer whom Lakers fans have mountainous hopes for.
Lakers Eyeing Thiero as Potential Starter, But How Likely is He to Earn the Nod?
Head coach JJ Redick has already mentioned multiple times that the remaining two starting spots will be determined after training camp and preseason. That means the six players Buha mentioned as potential starters will experience some serious competition over the next few weeks before the team gets set to play the Golden State Warriors on opening night. Although it seems far-fetched to think that Thiero could sneak his way into the starting lineup, we can’t dismiss his chances.
“It could be in play,” Buha said of Thiero’s potential to join the starting lineup. “I think it’d be a real development wing for the Lakers.”
Buha noted during an earlier episode that the Lakers hope Thiero emerges as a full-time starter at some point. For now, there might be more questions than not when it comes to starting the 22-year-old former second round pick.
“(The) big question would be for me, how do you space the floor with both Adou and Walker Kessler? I think that’s an open-ended question,” Buha expressed. “I think if your answer for that is just permanently park Kessler and have him space the floor, I think that’s the wrong answer. I think there would be some spacing challenges with Adou and Walker Kessler starting together. If Adou materializes the way that we all think he can, or that most of us think he can, he’ll be in that mix.”
Thiero’s Ceiling is Sky-High
There is no denying that both the Lakers and their fans are excited about Thiero’s future. The exciting news is that the young buck, who had a troubling rookie season due to injuries, is already earning the trust of his head coach.
“Adou has had an unbelievable last two months of development,” Redick told reporters last week. “It’s the first stretch he’s had since we drafted him where he’s had uninterrupted time in the gym. His body has been in great shape and he’s just gotten better.”
It will be exciting to see the kind of start Thiero has to this season. It is easy to forget that he missed Summer League, training camp and preseason last year. That is a blow even for a seasoned veteran, never mind a 21-year-old rookie.
Lakers Eyeing Electric 22-Yr-Old Rising Star as Bold Addition to Starting Lineup