LAS VEGAS — Second-year forward Adou Thiero scored 20 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a decisive win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on July 10, 2026, opening the team’s Las Vegas Summer League schedule at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Thiero hit 8 of 14 shots and filled the box score with four rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks. Several emphatic dunks punctuated the 2026 first-rounder’s performance as Los Angeles cruised to victory.
“I felt like I was capable of doing this,” Thiero said after the game. “It’s not different from what I was doing in the G League last year. I sped myself up a little bit earlier this summer, and now I’m slowing down and letting the game come to me.”
Despite the breakout evening, the 21-year-old noted that his development remains a work in progress. “It feels good to see the stuff you work on show up in games, but I still have a lot of work to do,” he added.
Injuries limited Thiero’s rookie campaign, keeping him largely out of head coach JJ Redick’s rotation. After conversations with the coaching staff, the 6-foot-8 wing said his immediate focus is defense. “JJ wants a point-of-attack, on-ball defender,” Thiero explained. “I’m trying to get reps there and make the game simpler for myself offensively.”
Summer League coach Ty Abbott praised Thiero’s composure. “He wasn’t rushed tonight,” Abbott said. “He attacked matchups, read the help in the paint and made the right passes. Once he did that, the lane opened up and he finished at the rim.”
The night’s loudest moment came when Thiero finished a windmill dunk in transition following a steal, though the forward downplayed the highlight. “The windmill was nice, but it wasn’t my best,” he remarked. “I didn’t have my footing.”
The Lakers continue Summer League play later this week as Thiero looks to build on his strong start.
Source: LakersNation.com
