As the Miami Heat search for the perfect prospect to invest in at No. 20 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, Adou Thiero represents an opportunity to elevate the current core and simplify the game for Bam Adebayo.

Miami has a captivating collection of players who have the undeniable potential to form one of the best teams in the Association. Patience is a rare commodity, however, as any time a team has recently made the NBA Finals, the timeline of their expected success is expedited.

As the Heat search for ways to bridge the gap by utilizing the No. 20 pick to land an impact player, a specialized skill set is exactly what they need.

Thiero may not be the scoring threat that some are hoping for, but he checks the box in an equally as valuable way. Furthermore, it’s a more realistic projection that he could emerge as a starting-caliber player than it is for Miami to believe it has the next great scoring champion just waiting for it at No. 20.

For a coach like Erik Spoelstra, there simply aren’t many prospects quite as ideal as Thiero—a defensive force who can thrive in Miami.

Adou Thiero is nothing short of electric

Thiero is a fascinating prospect. He stood at 6’0″ as a junior in high school but is now 6’6.25″ without shoes and 218 pounds. He also boasts a 7’0″ wingspan that he utilizes to great effect in a disruptive capacity on the defensive end of the floor.

A special athlete who effortlessly plays above the rim and appears without a moment’s notice, Thiero ranked sixth in the SEC in block percentage in 2023-24 and 10th in steal percentage in 2024-25.

Thiero is admittedly still figuring out how to put it all together, which could scare teams off considering he’s 21 years of age. The progress he made from 2023-24 to 2024-25, however, is confirmation of how absurd his upside truly is.

That includes the fact that he made the jump from 13.5 points per 40 minutes as a sophomore to 21.9 during his junior campaign.

Thiero is still an inefficient shooter, but he’s an electric player who creates second chances, attacks off the bounce, and can play above the rim from a flat-footed stance. He also attempted an absurd 9.4 free throws per 40 minutes in 2024-25, which is a testament to how difficult it is for a defense to get a hold of where he’ll end up on any given play—or how quickly he’ll get there.

That type of explosiveness may not be enough to make him an All-Star, but his combination of defensive acumen, elite athleticism, prototypical measurements, and vastly improved production is impossible to fully overlook.

Adou Thiero can simplify the game for Bam Adebayo

Although he’s older, Thiero is reminiscent of OG Anunoby as a prospect. He’s made remarkable progress season-over-season, is a step ahead of the rest of the pack in his athleticism and the way he applies it in real time, and has an aggressive mentality that can’t be taught.

As a result, Thiero has an ability that has helped Anunoby become a long-time starter in the NBA: Everything he does well acts to simplify the game for his teammates.

For Miami, adding Thiero would mean continuing to alleviate some of the defensive burden from Bam Adebayo. With Thiero flying around the court, forcing turnovers, crashing the boards, and picking up scorers of every caliber, Adebayo could function as more of a free safety than a full-on first and last line of defense.

If Kel’el Ware develops accordingly, the Heat would thus surround Adebayo with players at the 3 and 5 spots who could simultaneously enable Miami’s interior anchor to finally pick his spots.

Furthermore, Thiero’s 2.4 steals per 40 minutes reflect his ability to improve Miami’s ranking of No. 22 in points created via turnovers in 2024-25. Spoelstra will always have his team ready to defend, but Thiero can be the defensive playmaker they currently lack.

Rolling out a lineup with Davion Mitchell, Tyler Herro, Thiero, Adebayo, and Ware would give the Heat the balance they need to compete with the current standards of depth and defense in the NBA.