THE BIGGEST team in the land, the Los Angeles Lakers acquired another young piece with their sole selection at the 2025 NBA Draft last month, moving up the order ahead of night two in order to get their man.

The Lakers were unable to go deep into the playoffs despite making one of the biggest trades in NBA history to acquire Luka Doncic midseason. Now, Los Angeles will be eager to stay in the championship window in the final years of LeBron James‘ career, and recently made the move to finally snag a starting center in Deandre Ayton, which has been a big void in their lineup.

Impressively, the Lakers added a rookie forward for the future when they traded up 10 spots to add the 36th pick and ensure they did not miss out on their player, who could be a key piece for the team down the line.

Los Angeles Lakers

Drafted Players

Adou Thiero (pick 36)

The Lakers did not have much wiggle room with their selections at the 2025 NBA Draft, having traded away their first round selection in the past. However, they got involved in a record-breaking seven-team trade and managed to trade up into the 30s and get the player they wanted.

Los Angeles picked up Thiero at pick 36, an athletic forward who has plenty of nous when it comes to scoring inside and on the drive. The Arkansas Razorbacks forward does have some improvement to make when it comes to the rest of his offensive arsenal, but he will have plenty of veterans to learn from, which will certainly accelerate his development.

On straight drives, Thiero is incredibly difficult to stop when attacking the rim, making the most of his seven-foot wingspan to get the ball as close to the basket as possible when looking to score at the cup, and often forcing the defence into ill-discipline when looking to slow him down.

He can also hold his own defensively, using his physical traits to stay in front of the opposition, and although he could do with staying out of foul trouble a bit more, that will develop as his game does in the coming years.

Thiero appears to be a long-term piece for the Lakers, given his raw potential and impressive athletic traits, and if he can pick the minds of the star teammates around him, he could become a key rotational piece for Los Angeles in no time.