Rob Pelinka says Lakers had first round grade on Adou Thiero

Given that the Lakers thought of Adou Thiero as a first-round player, it makes sense they jumped up to select him at No. 36 in the NBA Draft.

Los Angeles didn’t have a first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, but they did find a prospect in the second round that they had high on their draft board.

The Lakers moved up from the No. 55 pick to the No. 45 pick, then traded with the Bulls to select Adou Thiero from Arkansas at No. 36.

The selection of Theiro received good grades from draft experts, given his high level of athleticism and the growth he’s had as a player throughout his collegiate career.

Once the draft process was over, President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka made a TV appearance on Spectrum SportsNet and mentioned that they had Thiero graded as a first-round player.

“Adou was projected by our scouts as a first round talent and so we were able to turn [pick number] 55, which is a late second round pick, to a high second round pick, to pick a player that we had projected in the first round. So, it’s almost like having the first round pick that we traded out. Tons of credit, thankful for the support of Jeannie to allow us to be aggressive and use resources to win at the margins, move up in the draft, and get a player that we really think is going to dimensionalize our roster.

“We just felt like one of the things we needed to address is to get younger and more athletic on the wings and being able to get a player like Adou that can catch lobs from the corner when Luka is making paint decisions I think is going to be really special. Then he’s just big, big, big shoulders, big chest, a guy that’s going to play defense and add some physicality and athleticism to our roster. Super excited about that.”

The Lakers’ words matched their actions when it came to Thiero. They didn’t just hope that he would fall into their hands. Instead, they traded twice on the day of the draft to ensure they’d get the player they wanted.

This was an aggressive move by Los Angeles. If it works out, they might have gotten the steal of the 2025 NBA Draft by selecting someone on the second day who should have been picked on the first.

On film, Thiero’s explosiveness jumps off the screen. The dunks he was pulling off in college were mind-boggling. The moment he steps onto the Lakers' practice facility, he will be one of the most athletic players on the roster.

Pelinka also shared another interesting tidbit on the process of drafting Thiero on Spectrum SportsNet, saying he and Lakers head coach JJ Redick had lunch with their new rookie a couple of weeks ago.

“JJ Redick and I actually hosted him in our building a couple of weeks ago, took him to lunch, and really got to know his character. That’s such an important part of the equation and he’s just a great young man and hungry to get better and learn and grow and we feel like we have a great player development staff here. Super excited about all that.”

It’s ideal when management and coaching are on the same page with the players they are drafting.

It certainly seems that the key people in the Lakers organization were on board with adding Theiro, and the process was a well-thought-out one. The Lakers' scouts did their job, and ownership provided the resources to benefit from that work.

Now they get to reap the rewards as Thiero begins his career as a Laker.

If the organization got it right, Thiero will serve as another example of the Lakers being a step ahead of the rest of the league when it comes to finding quality players that fall during the NBA Draft.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.