What happened: Adou Thiero's feel for the pacing of summer league play has been noticeably off, with the second-year forward moving too fast for the flow of the game. Operating well outside his usual role, the same Thiero who returned for the second half after a hard fall has struggled to slow the game down even as his athleticism keeps jumping off the floor.

Why it matters: Summer league is where young players are stretched beyond their regular roles, and how Thiero manages tempo matters more than his box score. For a player with one year of experience, learning to harness his burst and leaping ability into controlled decisions is the difference between summer flashes and real rotation minutes in the 2026-27 season.

What to watch: Watch whether Thiero settles into a steadier tempo as summer league play continues toward Las Vegas, where rotations tighten and the competition gets more organized.