The Los Angeles Lakers took a step closer towards having a fully healthy roster and complete rotation during their 138-117 shellacking of the Miami Heat on Monday when forward Ziaire Williams returned to the lineup after missing three games due to a foot injury. On Wednesday, the Lakers made a move regarding second-year forward Adou Thiero that could signal his potential return from injury.

Adou Thiero has yet to play this season after sustaining a knee injury during the preseason, but the Lakers assigned the uber-athletic wing to their G League affiliate, the Coachella Valley Lakers, amid the team’s mini-road trip to take on the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday evening.

Last week, rookie guard Cameron Carr was assigned to Coachella Valley for a couple of practice stints right before he was cleared to return to the court following an oblique injury. With Thiero seemingly following the same pattern, that could be a good sign regarding where he is in his recovery process.

Prior to the Lakers’ win against the Heat, head coach JJ Redick expressed optimism that Thiero could make his season debut by the end of this week. He was already ruled out for the Kings’ game, and his next opportunity to play would be on Friday, Nov. 6 when the Lakers return home to square off against the Portland Trail Blazers in an NBA Cup matchup.

The No. 36 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Lakers traded up to select the Arkansas wing, and he’s arguably the most promising young player on the roster. He’s had unfortunate injury luck, however, since beginning his NBA career. He dealt issues regarding both knees last season, limiting his availability as a rookie.

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When he was healthy, he saw ample opportunity in the G League while playing sparingly in the Lakers’ rotation. He appeared in a total of 25 games at a little over six minutes, while averaging 1.9 points and 1.1 rebounds and shooting 51.6 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3-point range.

Thiero did appear in three preseason games before being sidelined, averaging 5.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 steals.