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Basketball experts agree: "Don't sleep on Adou (Thiero)"

Jack PIlgrimby:Jack Pilgrim08/03/23
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Photo by Mont Dawson | Kentucky Sports Radio

What is Adou Thiero? Well, it’s TBD. The Leetsdale, PA native came to Kentucky as a 6-foot-4, 181-pound point guard. A three-star project piece with strong high school production — he averaged 23.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 3.9 steals and 2.3 blocks per game as a senior at Quaker Valley — the focus was on what he could be, not what he was then. He had grown nine inches between his freshman and senior seasons and was still sprouting up.

By the time the Wildcats headed to the Bahamas, he was 6-foot-5. And then his official preseason measurements came in at 6-foot-6, 200 pounds — his listed height and weight for the entirety of his freshman year.

6.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks in 14.3 minutes per game in the Bahamas — weak competition, but clear flashes. Then 2.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.5 steals in 9.7 minutes per contest during the regular season, 20 games overall. Nine matchups with double-digit minute totals, six with five minutes or less, 14 DNP-CDs — a roller coaster of a debut campaign with highs and lows.

To be expected, trial by fire. Long-term plans still right on schedule.

What about the hopes for year two? Well, he’s now a 6-foot-7, 217-pound do-it-all wing with guard skills. The new-and-improved version of Thiero averaged 7.5 points in the 2023 GLOBL JAM in Toronto on 45.8 percent shooting while adding 5.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks while turning the ball over just 0.5 times in 26.8 minutes per contest. A completely different player physically and mentally.

He attacked the basket with purpose, not the reckless abandonment we saw in year one. Drew fouls, finished through contact, put the ball on the floor, rebounded and defended. The whole nine yards — essentially everything but knock down shots.

No matter his position as a sophomore, he gave you plenty of reason for excitement.

“I think he’s best at three or four, a ball-handling three or four. He’s big enough, strong enough, rebounds well for his position,” ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg told KSR. “He gives you versatility defensively — I’m a big Adou Thiero guy. Again, he has a role. He’s got to shoot it a little more consistently, but he does do a good job of getting in the lane and making plays. That’s another guy that can make a play.”

So much was made about Chris Livingston‘s departure this offseason and the Wildcats needing to find a replacement through the transfer portal. The physicality, versatility and rebounding he brought to the table appeared to be missing — on paper, at least.

Insert Thiero, now almost identical in size to Livingston — 6-6, 220 pounds were his official measurements — during his one-and-done season in Lexington. Almost certainly bigger by the time the regular season rolls around.

“Some of it (Thiero can replace), but I think Justin Edwards is going to fill that role some, too. They can play Edwards and Thiero together,” Greenberg said. “Chris Livingston, good for him, he got drafted and signed a contract. That’s great. But Adou is going to have an impact. He’s 100 percent all bought in. He understands he needs to play to his strengths, doesn’t do a lot he can’t do.

“Last year, asking him to handle the ball that much was hard on him. In this role, where he’s going to have guys to take pressure off of him and he won’t have to do that, he’s going to be really good.”

Daryn Freedman, founder of Basketball Stars of America — one of Thiero’s former AAU programs — and former assistant under John Calipari, is equally optimistic regarding the Leetsdale native’s breakthrough potential. As excitement remains understandably high for the freshmen, Freedman is keeping a close eye on Thiero.

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“Don’t sleep on Adou. Adou is going to have a big year, I’m telling you,” he told KSR. “I watched every game last year. The times he was in, they were at their best when he was in. He was just young. But I think he’s going to have a huge year, I really do.”

Part of his excitement comes from his versatility and the way he continues to grow. Sure, he’s 6-7 now and could hit the 6-8 mark soon, but the guard skills didn’t go away. He doesn’t have to be a true point guard to utilize those talents. Instead, he can be a grab-and-go wing capable of getting downhill and attacking the basket.

Whatever the position, the potential for high-level production is there.

“That’s the thing with Adou. Even though he might be 6-7, 6-8 now, he’s originally a point guard. You can play him one through four, but the kid has always been a point guard,” Freedman told KSR. “Now he’s just taller than everybody else. He can play wherever and it’s positionless basketball, so it doesn’t really matter anymore. As long as you can guard, that’s the key.

“Adou can create for other guys, but he can score. I don’t know what they’re going to do with him, but I’m confident he’s going to have a big year.”

His size and position are moving targets for the Kentucky coaching staff. That isn’t going to change in the coming months. What’s clear, though, is that Adou Thiero is going to make an impact sooner rather than later.

“I’ll say this, and I’m not saying this lightly,” John Calipari said last season. “I don’t know when it’s going to happen, but (Thiero) will have a huge impact on college basketball. He will. Because he can play basketball.”

Calipari spoke it into existence last season. Now, Thiero is working it into existence.

“He is so much better,” the Kentucky head coach said of Thiero in Toronto. “So much more aggressive, so much more committed to the game, which has made him more confident. … If he rebounds the way he does, he’s gonna be on the court. Just what it is. I told them, we all know that he’s gonna have to be on the court.”

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2024-11-14