Kentucky would benefit from a healthy Adou Thiero about now

Kentucky was able to eke out a win in their SEC road opener in Gainsville last Saturday against the Gators but failed to repeat that lofty task in College Station against Texas A&M. In both games, rebounding, or the lack thereof, stuck out as one of the team’s key weaknesses.

To be fair, the ‘Cats rebounded about as well as they could against the Aggies, given their personnel availability. With Aaron Bradshaw plagued with foul trouble, Ugonna Onyenso found himself playing 32 minutes, way more than what his freshly rehabbed legs and newly conditioned lungs expected.

Tre Mitchell, the Wildcats’ only other player who can pass off as a big man, also logged a crazy 44 minutes. No matter how skilled, it is difficult to sustain the level of physicality required to hit the glass with the tenacity required to keep one of the best offensive-rebounding teams in the country at bay for that long.

Put me in the category of someone who never thought we’d be saying this, but this team really needs Adou Thiero. His motor, toughness, and willingness to crash the glass is exactly the type of complementary piece Kentucky needed against both Florida and at a greater cost, Texas A&M.

When all of Kentucky’s seven-footers were out, Thiero served as a tremendous stopgap in the rebounding department. He has averaged 5.6 rebounds per game during his time on the court but led the team with a defensive rebounding percentage of 18.6 percent. Similarly, he is second on the team in offensive rebounding percentage.

Simply put, Kentucky needs this rebounding for the SEC long haul.

Thiero’s defense would be a huge help as well

According to College Basketball Analytics, the Kentucky lineup with the best defensive rating (90.5) with at least 30 minutes played together is Reed Sheppard, Antonio Reeves, Justin Edwards, Tre Mitchell, and yes, Adou Theiro.

One could argue this is a smaller sample size and came against weaker competition, but the second-best defensive lineup has a rating of 12 points worse (102.7), so this isn’t exactly a one-off.

Don’t get me wrong. Thiero isn’t an elite defensive superhero, some sort of combination between Tyler Ulis and Anthony Davis sitting on the sideline waiting to save the day. But in the land of land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king, and Adou Thiero and two. Now we just have to get his one back in better shape.

What in the world in general soreness?

John Calipari gave a little bit more detail to clear up the previous intentional fogginess around Adou Theiro’s ailment. Officially, Theiro has missed the last three games with “general soreness,” a designation never before seen on an injury report. It turns out this soreness is generally concentrated on his back.

If you recall, Theiro grew about a foot in two years. That is not normal. Whether his Godzilla-like growth spurt is the cause of his current back issues or not, keep in mind this is not your normal 19-year-old. If sources are to be believed, Thiero is trending in the right direction, which is good because the ‘Cats need his physical presence on the court.

If Kentucky drops a game or two in January so that he is healthy in March, that is a trade Calipari is willing to make. Having said that, please get well soon, Adou. Like, really really soon.