DALLAS — There are plenty of improvements necessary for Arkansas basketball after a 72-67 loss to No. 8 Baylor on Saturday night, but one player particularly impressed John Calipari in defeat.
Swing man Adou Thiero led all scorers with 24 points. On a night when the No. 16 Razorbacks (1-1) struggled to make 3s and find gaps Baylor’s zone defense, Thiero initiated his own good fortune.
“He’s in attack mode now,” Calipari said. “Instead of messing with the ball, he’s in attack mode. Now, he can get to where he needs to go. Probably got to get him to do a little stride-stop so if he gets stuck, he can turn and make plays for his teammates.”
Thiero did a little bit of everything for Arkansas. He shot 10 of 15 from the floor, doing most of his work on dribble-drives straight to the basket, but he also displayed some of his offensive growth after spending the first two years of his career as an inconsistent part of Kentucky’s attack.
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Thiero made two 3-pointers and a handful of short-range jumpers. He looked confident with his jumper, but he only went to it with the shot clock winding down or if he was left wide open.
“Just getting to his spots where he knows he can hit shots. He’s just being a big factor for this team,” Arkansas guard Boogie Fland said.
Thiero averaged just 7.2 points and shot 49.2% last season at Kentucky. He was oftentimes the fourth option on offense when he was on the floor.
That status in the pecking order might not change at Arkansas with the likes of Fland, Johnell Davis and DJ Wagner in the backcourt.
Or, Arkansas could be forced into making Thiero a bigger priority in its offensive sets.
That wouldn’t be a bad problem for Calipari.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas basketball finding another offensive piece in attacking Adou Thiero
