FAYETTEVILLE — Boogie Fland first uttered the words Monday night after Arkansas basketball‘s 91-72 victory over Pacific. About 20 minutes later, John Calipari echoed Fland’s sentiment.
The Razorbacks (3-1) believe there is at least one NBA Draft lottery pick on the roster.
And in a mild surprise, neither player nor coach were referring to any of the former five-star recruits.
Adou Thiero is playing the best basketball of his life. He dropped 23 points to go along with six rebounds and four steals in the win over Pacific. It’s a small sample size, but the junior forward is averaging 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals through four games.
He’s the Hogs’ leading scorer, shooting 65.2% from the field and 36.4% from three. Recently, Caliapri also described him as the leader of the locker room.
Now, the head coach who has a streak of 17 consecutive drafts with a first-round pick believes he could be the next in line.
“He ain’t taking 20 shots. He’s scoring 19 on 10 shots. Today, it was 8 for 10, but what he’s done is he’s matured. He’s in better shape. He’s stronger. He’s better with the ball because he’s stronger. He’s a better player,” Calipari said.
“He came to us out of high school and I think he was a three-star player. You stay two years and now you could be a lottery pick.”
Media outlets that cover the NBA Draft haven’t quite lifted Thiero into that echelon, but they are starting to take notice. ESPN slotted Thiero as the 40th-ranked prospect before the season, but the latest mock draft from the network has Thiero going 29th to the Utah Jazz. CBS Sports also has Thiero going to the Utah Jazz, but with the 28th pick.
USA TODAY’s For the Win projects him to be picked by the Boston Celtics with the last pick in the first round. Bleacher Report’s latest projections are the most bullish, slotting Thiero as the 18th pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves. There’s a long way till draft night, but Thiero’s stock is clearly rising.
Calipari’s memory is a little off. Thiero was a consensus four-star prospect coming out of Pennsylvania’s Quaker Valley High School in 2022, but he was the lowest-ranked recruit in Kentucky’s class that year.
Now, he might be the best player on Calipari’s roster. He’s discovered a scoring threat this year that wasn’t part of the equation in his first two seasons at Kentucky. And Thiero’s athleticism wows his teammates. Fland says he’s never seen someone who can put his head on the rim like Thiero. Calipari says his maturation as an athlete has raised Thiero’s ceiling.
“You looked at him his freshman, and even his sophomore year physically, you didn’t see this. He’s grown into his father. His father’s (6-foot-9) and that’s his dad. I coached his dad,” Calipari said.
There’s plenty of other high-level talent on the roster. Fland is another potential lottery pick, while freshmen Karter Knox and Billy Richmond have those type of ceilings. Zvonimir Ivišić is playing his way into the discussion, and that doesn’t include the two most accomplished collegiate players on the roster in Johnell Davis and Jonas Aidoo.
Adou Thiero’s ascension could make him plenty of money come April, but it also makes Arkansas more dangerous team until then.