FAYETTEVILLE — Adou Thiero‘s size and athleticism make him an intriguing NBA Draft prospect.
John Calipari is using those elite traits to turn Thiero into a reliable scorer for Arkansas basketball.
The junior forward scored 20 points on 7 of 11 shooting Monday as the Razorbacks caught fire in the second half of a 92-62 victory over Oakland. Thiero is averaging 17.8 points per game, which leads the team and he’s hyper efficient with a 62.1% field-goal percentage.
Thiero doesn’t score like a traditional wing, though. He’s averaging less than one 3-pointer per game, and hardly settles for an isolation jump shot.
Instead, Calipari is finding creative ways to get Thiero the basketball with an opportunity to attack the paint. And it all starts with passing him the ball, while he’s already moving toward the basket.
“I like to keep it simple, try not to do too much with the ball if I know I can just get it and go, I’m just going to get it and go,” Thiero said. “That’s what was working for me tonight and my teammates saw that so they just kept getting the ball in those spots and helping me become successful in those areas.”
Calipari calls it ‘driving the catch.’ He wants Thiero moving toward passes and the basket to create a head start with downhill momentum toward the rim. Thiero has the frame of an NFL tight end at 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds, and this is his version of going in motion before the snap.
The best example of this against Oakland came late in the first half.
After forcing a traveling violation on the other end, Thiero inbounded the basketball to Boogie Fland with 1:37 on the clock. He jogged up the floor, flanking to Fland’s left, and never stopped moving. He receed a pass from Fland at the 3-point line and took a couple stutter steps before steamrolling into the paint.
The Golden Grizzlies had two options: foul him or let him get to a favorable spot. Thiero got two feet in the paint, took a subtle jump stop, pulled up and sunk a push floater.
Once he gets near the basket, Thiero’s strength creates fouls and his craft allows for finishes through traffic. It’s why his field-goal percentage is so high, and 10 of his 20 points against Oakland came in the paint.
According to Calipari, recent rule changes have played a role. In the summer of 2023, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Committee made it more difficult to take a charge. A help-side defender must be set by the time the offensive player’s plant foot hits the floor. Previously, they were required to be set before an offensive player went airborne.
“If anybody moves in his way as he’s driving, that’s a foul, where before you know those teams that hit the floor clapped and took charges. Can’t do that anymore,” Calipari said.
The rule change also puts pressure on Thiero to become a strong free-throw shooter. He’s been solid in most games, but went 13 for 24 during a two-game stretch against Illinois and Miami. Since then, he is 19 for 23 and went 6 for 6 on Monday.
“What I’m liking about this team is they’re all getting better individually. They’re becoming their best version,” Calipari said.
Keeping Thiero on the move will get more difficult. The SEC slate begins Saturday on the road against No. 1 Tennessee, and teams will try to push Thiero off his spot. The Volunteers under Rick Barnes are notorious for their physical style.
Thiero is ready for the challenge.
“It’s going to be a lot more of a dog fight,” he said. You’re going to get elbowed, the ref isn’t going to call it. It’s a lot of stuff. Put in a chokehold, everything, but we just got to come ready to play, stay together and just be a unit.
