How will Quaker Valley grad Adou Thiero fit in with Lakers?

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, July 13, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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It’s official.

Quaker Valley product Adou Thiero is an accredited member of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Thiero, 21, was chosen June 26 by the Lakers with the 36th pick of the 2025 NBA Draft. He recently signed a three-year rookie contract as L.A.’s only selection in this year’s draft.

He will wear jersey No. 1 for the purple and gold.

How will Thiero fit in with the Lakers? Pundits around the NBA have weighed in.

• Dan Woike of The Athletic, a Lakers beat writer, wrote that scouts believe Thiero can become a contributor.

“When you talk to scouts, particularly about non-lottery picks, the phrase ‘has a chance’ is considered a relatively strong endorsement. Have heard it from multiple scouts on Adou Thiero,” Woike noted.

• David Cobb of CBS Sports pointed out how much Thiero had improved in his three years of college basketball.

“Los Angeles made a move to get to No. 36 in order to select an extremely athletic wing with a ton of defensive upside,” Cobb wrote. “The big knock on Thiero — and the reason he wasn’t picked in the first round — is because he was unable to demonstrate a consistent outside shot.

“But Thiero’s measurables are really strong, and he’s still developing. He was initially a fringe top-100 prospect out of high school but improved dramatically while playing for John Calipari at both Kentucky and Arkansas. He could bring some depth on the wing for the Lakers early in his career.”

• RotoWire.com projected how Thiero’s NBA career will go.

“Thiero’s ceiling will ultimately be decided by how his 3-point shot develops, but his elite athleticism and impressive length give him a solid floor as an impactful defender who can crash the glass and finish at the rim,” a scouting report read.

• Jonathan Givony of Draft Express pointed out how Thiero could help a Lakers team that needs better perimeter defense.

“(Thiero) brings a unique combination of quickness, power and explosiveness that makes him a mismatch forward. Can also do some impressive things defensively one-on-one, racking up steals and blocks in bunches.”

• According to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times, NBA scouts and the Lakers believe a good player comparison for Thiero is OG Anunoby of the New York Knicks.

Thiero, who was born in Salt Lake City and spent his early years in Mali with his grandmother while both his parents played college basketball, was joined at the NBA Draft at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center by his parents, three younger sisters and a younger cousin.

Listed as a 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward, Thiero played at Kentucky (two years) and Arkansas (one year) in college. He landed at Kentucky following a stellar senior season at Quaker Valley.

In 2021-22, Thiero was lauded as a four-star recruit by ESPN after averaging 23.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 3.9 steals and 2.3 blocks per game.

He led the Quakers to a 27-1 record and 14-0 mark in section play, netting 18 points in the PIAA finals in his team’s only loss of the season against Neumann-Goretti. He also finished with 31 points, 17 rebounds and seven blocked shots in the WPIAL Class 4A championship game and racked up 1,624 career points, the third most in team history.

Thiero was named 2022 TribLive HSSN Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

He and Markus Frank formed a high-octane senior duo for the Quakers, who celebrated the most successful boys basketball season in school history in ’21-22 as QV finished as the PIAA runner-up.

Thiero and Frank earned first-team all-state honors in a statewide vote of sportswriters, and Mike Mastroianni was named coach of the year in 4A. Frank averaged 28.1 points and 10 rebounds.

The 6-4 Frank was a guard/forward on the men’s basketball team at Shippensburg in 2024-25. He eclipsed 1,000 points for his career in just his second college season and was named to the All-PSAC First Team after ending up fourth in the conference in scoring average at 19.6 per game.

Frank also was selected as the PSAC Eastern Division Freshman of the Year in ’23-24.

The Quakers’ starting lineup in their 2021-22 district championship season included four seniors — Thiero, Frank and guards Jack Gardinier and Will Dunda — along with junior forward Dan Bartels. Frank totaled 760 points that year and 1,462 points for his career.

Thiero paced QV in scoring as a sophomore at 17.7 ppg. He increased it to 21.8 ppg as a junior while averaging team-highs in assists (5.1), steals (2.2) and blocks (1.2).

He also competed in soccer and lacrosse in high school. One of his pet projects off the court was working with the Gear Up Ségou community service project.

Tags: Quaker Valley