Adou Thiero looked like a different player in Kentucky's first GLOBL Jam game

It was just one game in mid-July, but you only needed a few minutes of watching Adou Thiero run up and down the floor to realize he’s not the same player he was a season ago.

Thiero and Kentucky men’s basketball opened up the 2023 GLOBL Jam Tournament in Toronto, Canada with an 81-73 victory over Team Germany on Wednesday afternoon. With the Wildcats down both of its centers — Aaron Bradshaw and Ugonna Onyenso — due to injury (the latter suffering his during a closed scrimmage on Tuesday), Thiero was forced into a more frontcourt-oriented role.

After putting on over 35 pounds of muscle, growing a couple more inches, and increasing his vertical since the 2022-23 season came to an unfortunate ending, playing down a position didn’t seem to bother him one bit. Thiero was Kentucky’s defacto four-man against Germany and looked the part of a punishing small-ball big man.

The 6-foot-6 sophomore finished with nine points (3-6 shooting), seven rebounds (two offensive), three assists, two steals, and two blocks in 31 minutes of action. He established himself early and often by playing bully ball at the rim and ripping balls away on defense.

“He is so much better, so much more aggressive, so much more committed to the game, which has made him more confident,” Kentucky head coach John Calipari said postgame. “I said he made the plays in the moment to rebound balls — he missed one on a free throw. But the other two, he willed himself… Adou was good. He played well.”

Adou AND ONE 💪 pic.twitter.com/HkOXrG5sFL

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) July 12, 2023

Added confidence appears to be the early key for Thiero. There were times last season when he didn’t appear comfortable even dribbling the ball up the floor. But on Wednesday, he was attacking the lane with force, knowing he could body opposing players with ease. He even referenced the age-old saying that happens when a player begins to hit his stride: the game is slowing down for him.

“Doing this for a year already, I think I have more confidence now,” Thiero said postgame. “Just knowing what to expect and coming out and playing.

“I’m figuring out I’m stronger. I can take it into people’s chests a little bit more, so that’s what I’ve been working on, trying to cut people off and finish at the basket.”

Again, it was only one game in mid-July, but Thiero is clearly better than he was at this stage 12 months ago. He presents himself with more swagger and is beginning to understand how to use his body. It’s easy to forget that he came to Kentucky as a skinny, still-growing two-guard. If he continues to produce at the rate he did on Wednesday, he’ll carve out a clear role come the fall.

“If he rebounds the way he does, he’s gonna be on the court,” Calipari added. “Just what it is. I told them, we all know that he’s gonna have to be on the court.”

Big things could be ahead for the former three-star recruit. The next step is playing with the same aggression and energy again on Thursday night against Team Canada.