Sophomore Adou Thiero can be Kentucky's X-Factor

It’s a broken record at this point, but it remains just as true every time someone mentions it — sophomore Adou Thiero looks like a completely different version than freshman Adou Thiero.

You don’t even have to religiously follow Kentucky men’s basketball to realize that. From the moment Thiero stepped on the floor up in Toronto back in July, it was clear he had been living in the gym. He came to Kentucky as a still-growing 6-foot-6, 200-pound wing. Fast forward to the beginning of year two and he’s added another two inches and 22 pounds of what appears to be pure muscle. Thiero now looks more like an NFL linebacker than a college wing. A year of college basketball under his belt sure did help as well, even if he saw limited playing time in 2022-23.

“I have a little bit more experience,” he said following last week’s Blue-White Game. “It just makes it easier to read the game more and expect some things.”

It’s a good thing he bulked up, too. With every passing day, it becomes more and more apparent that Kentucky is going to be without at least two of its three seven-footers to begin the season. And until the NCAA decides to clear the third, head coach John Calipari will be forced to play small — at least early in the schedule. That’s where Thiero comes in.

We’ve continued to hear the rumblings of Thiero’s offseason improvement since Kentucky returned from Canada a few months ago. That’s why so many fans (and likely NBA scouts) were disappointed when a minor ankle injury stopped Thiero’s Pro Day short and kept him from making an appearance in the Big Blue Madness scrimmage.

But then we finally got another taste of what could be in store for the 2023-24 season when he dropped 26 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and one block on 10-13 shooting (3-5 3PT) while playing all 40 minutes in last week’s Blue-White Game. He was throwing down putback dunks, splashing jumpers, and playing with an impressive amount of patience. Thiero isn’t just a work-in-progress anymore. Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports emphasized that with a single social media post on Thursday afternoon.

“Highly placed spies in Lexington believe that Adou Thiero is primed to play a major role for Kentucky as an ancillary piece to the Wildcats’ puzzle,” Rothstein wrote. “Dominique Hawkins at 6-6? In the same mold, for sure.”

Highly placed spies in Lexington believe that Adou Thiero is primed to play a major role for Kentucky as an ancillary piece to the Wildcats' puzzle. Dominique Hawkins at 6-6? In the same mold, for sure.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) October 26, 2023

Try 6-foot-8 actually, Jon. But we like the comparison to Hawkins. They absolutely share similar traits, both physically and in their approach. Thiero should be a much better all-around player than Hawkins though, who was limited due to being eight inches smaller than Thiero. Calipari can have Thiero play multiple positions on both ends of the floor. Without any of the team’s seven-footers and 6-foot-9 Tre Mitchell the lone remaining big man, Thiero is going to play an important role in Kentucky’s frontcourt.

Calipari has already said that Thiero will play more at the “four” with Mitchell at the “five” as long as the seven-footers are out. That gives Kentucky plenty of advantages on offense such as the ability to push the pace and spread the floor, but it also leaves the ‘Cats vulnerable on defense. Calipari is hoping Thiero can help plug up that leak with his strength and versatility.

“I just go in and whatever my teammates need me to do I just try and do that at my best,” Thiero said. “If it’s rebound, create, play defense, just do whatever I have to do to win. That’s all that matters.”