Picking up a treasure? Pelinka: Tiero can help the Lakers on both offense and defense, he has the strength in the first round

At the 2025 NBA Draft, the Lakers used the trade to upgrade their signing to the 6th pick in the second round, and finally selected the forward guard swinger Thiero, produced by the University of Arkansas.

The Lakers' highly confidential signing once attracted widespread attention in the industry. In a recent interview, Lakers' general manager Pelinka talked about the team's original intention of choosing Thiero.

Pelinka said: "It was a complete surprise that the Lakers were able to pick up Tiero's 6th pick in the second round, because the team's management unanimously felt that Tiero had the strength to be selected in the first round." In terms of technical characteristics, Pelinka believes: "Tiero's excellent athletic ability can help the team on both offense and defense, especially on the offensive end. When Doncic encounters double-teams and needs to quickly get the ball out, Tiero can run to the basket outside the three-point line to complete the end of the cake."

It is understood that Tiero is 2.03 meters tall and weighs 100 kilograms. This season, Thiero averaged 15.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game, plus 1.6 steals and 0.7 blocks, shooting percentage of 54.5% and three-point shooting percentage of 25.6%.