Los Angeles Lakers fans found out on Monday at media day that rookie forward Adou Thiero out of the University of Arkansas is still not yet cleared to play. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Thiero is “in line with the team’s recovery timeline” and still has one week of rehab work left before he’ll ultimately be cleared to return to the court.
For those who maybe hadn’t been keeping up with Thiero and his injury timeline, Adou is dealing with a left knee injury that he suffered while playing in college. The 21-year-old forward missed the Las Vegas Summer League and Lakers fans haven’t been able to see very much of him thus far.
At media day on Monday, Thiero stated that there is still swelling in his knee. Despite this, as McMenamin stated, he seems to still be on track to get back on the hardwood sometime in the next week.
If you’re a Lakers fan and you feel a little bit uneasy about your ability to have confidence in Adou’s health, don’t feel like you’re alone. I think there’s a widespread sense of anxiousness surrounding the rookie among the fanbase, given that he’s still unable to play.
Thiero will be cleared in roughly one week
The fact that Thiero’s knee problems have carried over from the collegiate ranks into the professional ranks certainly raises a red flag or two. If it’s this early into his NBA career and he’s already facing setbacks due to injury, many fear that the injury bug might be something that plagues him in the long term.
It was already not a great situation that he missed out on the summer league. That’s of course an environment where young guys can showcase their skills and build a little confidence. Without that opportunity and exposure, Adou lost out on some important runtime as well as momentum.
The fact that fans in LA are still yet to see him in a live game setting at the professional level is certainly going to allow some doubts and some speculation to take hold. When teams or players are a little vague about their recovery time lines or use sort of soft language like “on track” or “expected,” it’s understandable why fans may assume the worst case scenario.