Lakers Get GREAT NEWS on Adou Thiero as he LOCKS IN for Training Camp! Injury Update + Role Outlook!

Lakers Get GREAT NEWS on Adou Thiero as he LOCKS IN for Training Camp! Injury Update + Role Outlook!

[Music] All right, we got some more good news on Lakers rookie Adu Theo. Earlier this month, we got confirmation that he was back on the court and at least cleared to be doing individual workouts again, which was a great sign for him after getting hurt late in his college career, suffering a knee issue back in February that held him out for the rest of his college career. also preventing him from playing in the Lakers summer league team and that was a bit disappointing for both fans and the team alike. But now we have an update about his overall health situation, where he’s at in his recovery, and if he’ll be ready for the Lakers training camp, which does begin in late September. According to Dan Wilki of The Athletic, he’s been told that Theo has been working out in the Lakers facility and is expected to be ready for training camp when it does open at the end of September. Obviously, a great update for him. Obviously, the fact that he’s back on the court working out, getting to work on his individual game and potentially having a chance to maybe crack the LERs rotation or offering something at the very least, that’s kind of what it’s looking like for a Diro here. And well, that does give him roughly 2 months or at least over a month and a half to work on his individual game, being healthy throughout that point, getting ready for training camp, and maybe adding more to his game prior to training camp. I mean, he’s definitely running out of time here, and it might not be enough time to add a reliable three-point shot, for example. Something that he does not currently have and did not show much of throughout college. Maybe simply getting used to the speed of the NBA, working with individual trainers to prepare for that, maybe offer another defensive-minded athletic wing within the rotation, potentially pushing a guy like Jared Vanderbo for playing time, or simply offering them a backup plan if he would get hurt or somebody else in the rotation might get hurt. That might be the outlook for Adori here, but I imagine that he probably wants more than that and definitely will be trying to push for more than that, too. So, with that being said, could a duo become a rotation player for them in every game rotation player for them? What’s the value that he could or would add to the rotation? And what does he have to do throughout training camp to actually get that playing time and actually prove to JJ Reic that he can be trusted? We’ll talk about that, his current health status, and sadly about his future with the team going forward, both in the short term and long term as well. And well, if this does happen to be your first time hearing about Theo, how they got him, and what they have with him, here’s a quick rundown on that. The Lakers selected Duo, the 36th overall draft pick, which they got by trading up twice in the NBA draft. Initially having the 55th overall draft pick, trading that draft pick with cash to move up to 45th, then trading the 45th overall draft pick with more cash to move up to the 36th overall draft pick where they kind of unexpectedly drafted Duiro as many thought they would or kind of hope they would draft a center at that point. Though following the loss of Dorian Smith and them likely knowing that could or would happen, I think they definitely had some good foresight by drafting a duo. Not entirely replacing Dorian Smith. Obviously, you can’t really do that and replace a wellestablished reliable veteran like Dorian Smith that easily, but replacing the height and length within the rotation, replacing the position or rather in the rotation at least. Addio being a forward, both a small forward and a power forward combo, being listed at roughly 6’6 and 1/2 without Shon, probably around 6’8 with Shuon, and that kind of was confirmed at Luca Donuch’s press conference following his new contract. Here we can see Aduiro standing next to both DeAndre Aton and Rui Hachimura. Aduther wearing some loafers that don’t add much to his height. Rui Hatchim wearing legitimate shoes and they look to be identical in height. Hachimura being listed as a legitimate 6’8 without shoes on and yes without shoes. So I think we can say that Duthio is also 6’8 or pretty damn close to it. And that’s kind of the rundown of how they got him, his overall measurements and where he kind of falls within the rotation. You know, right now I’d probably put them at the 11th or 12th rotation spot in their overall rotation and simply on their team. You know, definitely on the outside looking at this point, falling behind guys like Jake Labia, Jared Vanderbilt, obviously Rui Himer and LeBron James in their forward rotation. Probably even falling behind Dalton Connect, making him the 11th or 12th man off the bench. So, he might not have a clear pathway to playing time quite yet, but it wouldn’t take much if they have an injury or two within the rotation. And with guys like Vanderbilt, Vincent, Smart, even guys like LeBron having some injury histories in the past few years, there definitely could be an opportunity for him. So, he better stay ready so he doesn’t have to get ready as I imagine they will eventually turn to him throughout the season. And if he proves to be reliable in that time frame when he eventually does get that opportunity, he might be able to stay within the rotation if JT believes in him and trusts him enough after that point. And you know, something that does tend to grab the attention of head coach, especially when talking about a role player that doesn’t get many consistent rotation minutes, does happen to be defense and simply doing the little things on the court, which is something that Diro definitely can do and did plenty of throughout college, too. If we’re talking about numbers here, then there’s definitely plenty to point to with him. If we’re talking about steals per game, then he averaged 1.6 6 them per game last season and only 27.5 minutes per game, translating to over two of them per 40 minutes. Also averaging over one block per game per 40 minutes, not only last season, but throughout his entire college career, even averaging two of them per 40 minutes during his sophomore year at Kentucky. Or if you want to talk about steal percentage or block percentage, having a 2.7% steel rate throughout his entire college career, also having a 3.8 8 block percentage throughout his entire career, which is very impressive as a wing player and even would be pretty good for a center. So, there’s definitely plenty of defense to point to here with the duo. That’s simply talking about the numbers, but plenty of point to with the eye test, too. Simply how athletic the guy is, how he never gives up on play, and especially in the open court. Ado definitely is the hardworking kind of player that can tend to crack a rotation spot from purely that alone. I mean, look at some of the plays he was making on defense last year. Whether you’re talking about helpside defense and helpside rim protection, getting back on plays and getting some unexpected blocks at the rim, picking up guys full court and being a backcourt pest, getting steals, takeaways leading to fast court dunks. Adu theos seem to be everywhere on the court and especially if you’re talking about defense, which is something that could definitely catch the eye of a guy like JJ Reic, especially with their current rotation and current team not having many guys like him. You know, not many athletic defensive-minded players in the rotation. obviously cheered Vanderbilt and Marcus Smart, but after that point, not a whole lot of them to point to. So maybe Ad Theo could actually catch the attention doing that, making some hardworking plays on defense, turning defense into offense, and breaking out and getting the crowd on his side by throwing down some monstrous dunks while doing it. That could definitely be a pathway for a Diro that he can do that not many other guys in their team can do. And you know, in my opinion, that’s the advantage that Duo has over a guy like Daltton Connect, for example, who is kind of reliant on getting touches offensively, getting the ball to turn into points, and knocking down three-point shots. That’s kind of Daltton Connect’s bread and butter. And while it’s very different and not something that Duo can do again, he’s not reliant on getting the ball here. If you throw him out on the court, he can make an impact through defense, hard work, rebounding, doing the little things in the court. something that don’t think connect isn’t very proficient at and not very consistent at doing that’s not the case for a duo here. You can actually put him out there and regardless whether he scores or not, he can give your team actual production. However, that impact will be limited until he does become more reliable offensively, which up until this point he has not proven capable of doing. Definitely not in regard to three-point shooting or really offball play in general. You know, he’s not a bad on the ball player. a guy that can definitely get to the rim and finish it with authority around the rim when he gets there. Is a crafty finisher around the rim, even as a decent floater and pretty good touch around the rim, even apart from simply dunking it and using his athletic ability. Though, he does have major improvement to show on offense. And again, in regard to shooting ability, playing off the ball, knowing when to make timely back door cuts, and learning the ins and outs of an offense, especially at the NBA level, that’s something he does have to show improvement on. And until he does, he can’t become a reliable consistent option within a rotation. You know, much like Jared Vanderbilt will be limited to probably 15 to 20 minutes per game due to his offensive ability or rather inability. And that’s something that Duo definitely doesn’t want to be limited to in the NBA. So, he’s got to show improvement. I mean, it’s not a short-term problem for him or their team in general. Again, I think he probably could and would offer value in some matchups. Simply using his athletic ability and ability on defense to take advantage of some teams or simply put him out there when they have guys hurt ahead of him. I think a duo could offer their team that and probably even this season. But if we’re talking about the long term with him and something he doesn’t want to be limited to, then we definitely have to talk about offensive improvement. Doesn’t have to be this season. probably doesn’t even have to be next season, at least not to be perfect yet and not to be a knockdown three-point shooter. But if we’re talking about two to three years down the road here where his contract does become non-g guaranteed at that point, then he does have to show improvement offensively by that point. Whether it be three-point shooting improvement, offball play in general, you know, that’s definitely the number one thing for him. If you’re not a center in the modern NBA, then you kind of have to be a three-point shooter. No other way around it. But then talking about his softball ability in general, making timely back door cuts, learning in offense, and getting up to the speed of the NBA, especially on offense. That’s kind of the other step for Duo here, and what he does have to work on here as well. So, with all of that being said here, what do you guys think about Duo? Do you think he could or maybe will become part of the rotation, or will he simply be an injury replacement and kind of a backup for the team and love to work on his game and not be put too much pressure on quite yet? more so looking toward the future with him eventually filling that Jared Vanderbilt role for their team maybe even as a true 3 and DD option and being better than Jared Vanderbilt. How do you feel about Diro both in the short term and long-term with the Lakers going forward? Let me know your thoughts in the comments down below. But I think that’ll pretty much do it for this one. And if you enjoyed the video, then I’ll greatly appreciate it if you dropped a like, subscribe to the channel if you have not already, and hit that notification bell to never miss out when I upload a video. But as always, thank you for watching and have a great day or night. [Music]

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