Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick will face tough decisions this upcoming season on how to manage minutes with his new-look roster.
The Lakers made a series of additions, with some expected to jump into the starting lineup and others to add depth. However, the Lakers may have a situation whereby the depth minutes may not be well distributed among the bench players.
There are only so many minutes to go around. According to Lakers Nation Trevor Lane, some players on the fringe of the rotation may not play at all, players like Adou Thiero.
“I want to see Adou Thiero get minutes; I think they need to have real investment into his future,” Lane said. “I just had a hard time slotting him into a team that needs to win right now ahead of a, say Ziaire Williams, Matisse Thybulle.”
Theiro’s performance in the summer league made it look like the Lakers had found another athletic wing they could grow into a real rotation piece. Then the roster filled up.
Adou Thiero Not Projected to Make the Lakers Rotation
The Lakers did make a move to add a starting-caliber wing this offseason and could still. Jonathan Kuminga was high on that list, but he signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The development opened doors for minutes at the wing for some deep rotational stars.
Pending whether the Lakers proceed with a wing addition, they have first-round pick Cameron Carr and Theiro in the mix while veteran additions Williams and Thybulle are also there.
The current roster situation makes things tough for Thiero who missed last year’s summer league due to injury and showed up this year with something to prove. He played seven games across the California Classic and Las Vegas and put up a 15.4-point average per game. He also added 6.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.3 steals while shooting 55.3 percent from the field.
Hoops Talks’ Allen Sliwa believes he has done some things that should be enough to get him some minutes in the rotation. The hurdle might be to find the right spot for him to get some minutes on the floor.
“He’s not the most ideal player. I know the Lakers are still figuring out who’s going to be in that four spot, but players like Theiro, I need to see, give me some chances to see potential developments,” Sliwa said.
The rotation lineup looks more crowded now with players like Jarred Vanderbilt, Dalton Knecht, Carr, Jaden Hardy and Bronny James competing for leftover minutes alongside Thiero.
Could L.A. Still Bank on Thiero?
The Lakers are aiming to compete which would make it difficult to hand decent minutes to more than one developing star on a consistent basis. The minutes are looking bleak for anyone outside the first nine or 10 players tipped to start and play significant backup minutes.
Still, not everyone would have an 82-game season and at some point, spots would open for minutes in games and players like Theiro would benefit from that.
“Theiro might get some DNPs and then you might see Thiero for three, four games in a row based off what he is doing,” Sliwa added. “A player goes down and gets injured, that opens up an opportunity for someone else.”
Theiro is only 22 and has a high ceiling as an athletic wing. He has the build and upside that can be a good asset in the long run.
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