JUST IN: ADOU THIERO MCL SPRAIN CONFIRMED—LAKERS ROOKIE FACES EXTENDED NEW YEAR LAYOFF
Lakers rookie Adou Thiero is sidelined for at least four weeks with an MCL sprain. Get the latest on his recovery and L.A.'s depth.
The Los Angeles Lakers are facing even more injury troubles, which is making this season even tougher.
Rookie forward Adou Thiero has a sprained right MCL, the team said. He will be checked again in about a month, which means he'll be out for a while during the regular season.
This is bad timing for the 21-year-old since he just started to find a spot in the NBA. He played in the Lakers' last six games, including four minutes in the fourth quarter of their big loss to the Detroit Pistons (128-106).
It's hard for a rookie to build confidence when he keeps getting interrupted like this.
This injury is just the latest problem in Thiero's rocky first season in Los Angeles. Before getting hurt, the second-round pick played in 15 games, usually for short periods. But he showed the athleticism and defensive skills that made him an interesting player to watch grow.
It's not clear exactly when Thiero hurt his MCL, but it came after an earlier knee issue that delayed his NBA start. That problem led to him spending time with the Lakers' G League team, the South Bay Lakers, to get back in shape.
In three G League games, Thiero averaged 15 points, five rebounds, 1.6 assists, and two steals in just over 20 minutes per game, while shooting well from the field (55.6 percent).
South Bay won all three of those games. One highlight was a 19-point performance against the Santa Cruz Warriors on Nov. 21, where he scored efficiently and had three steals in 19 minutes.
After being called back up and making his NBA start in mid-November, the hope was that Thiero would be able to play consistently and become a reliable player off the bench. But injuries have stopped that from happening.
From the team's view, Thiero's absence makes their lack of depth even worse. He wasn't a regular player, but he could defend different positions and bring energy off the bench, which gave the Lakers some flexibility. They've had trouble keeping that up this season.
"We're just going to find chances to give him minutes," coach JJ Redick said before the injury. I think he's had some good three-to-four-minute stretches, and some where he looks like a rookie, which is fine. We're also going to keep using South Bay to get him practice time.
Now, the MCL sprain stops any progress Thiero was making toward getting a bigger role. Knee injuries can be different, but even mild sprains usually need weeks of rest, recovery, and a slow return to playing basketball.
The Lakers waiting four weeks before checking him again suggests they're being careful and focusing on his long-term health.
RAIDERS PLACE RECEIVER JUSTIN SHORTER ON IR; SIGN HOOSIERS STAR BRADY
With Justin Shorter on IR, discover how new signing Jonathan Brady fits into the Raiders' wide receiver youth movement for 2026.
The Raiders aren’t sitting still; rookie minicamp just started, and they're already shuffling the roster. Right now, some veteran players are basically on borrowed time as the team leans hard into getting younger.
Take Justin Shorter. He’s been in Vegas since 2024 but hasn’t caught a pass in an actual NFL game. Well, his spot just got even more shaky. The Raiders put him on the Reserve/Injured list, which, let’s be real, is never a good sign this early in the offseason. Usually, that sort of move means a buyout could be next so he can test free agency.
There’s a steady influx of young receivers competing for spots, so it’s tough to see Shorter making his way back, even if he heals up. To fill his spot, the team signed Jonathan Brady, a receiver out of Indiana.
Nobody’s really sure what kind of injury Shorter has. If it’s serious, maybe he sticks around and rehabs with the team. If not, we might see him try his luck somewhere else.
As for the Raiders’ wide receiver group, the youth movement is real. Wide receiver was a big need heading into the offseason, but they didn’t do much outside of signing Jalen Nailor and drafting Malik Benson in the sixth round.
Vincent Bonsignore from the California Post pointed out that the Raiders might still look to add more receivers if the current group doesn’t step up. He basically said that the early rounds of the draft went to bigger needs, and now guys like Bech and Thornton Jr. have a chance to prove the team doesn’t have to keep looking elsewhere. But don’t expect the Raiders to hesitate if things look shaky.
Now, about that passing game, it was rough last season. The Raiders finished in the bottom five. But with Klint Kubiak calling plays and Fernando Mendoza hopefully taking over for Geno Smith, things honestly should get better. If Kirk Cousins ends up starting, he’s probably an upgrade, too. And bringing in Tyler Linderbaum at centre will only help.
Chances are, the Raiders will use an early pick on a receiver in next year’s draft. Even though they have a rookie quarterback waiting in the wings, they didn’t spend big at receiver this offseason. Maybe that’s because they don’t expect him to start right away. Who knows. For now, the wide receiver group looks decent enough to get by.
NFL EXECUTIVE NAMES COLE PAYTON HIS "NO. 2 QUARTERBACK" IN THE 2026 CLASS
From 94.6 PFF grades to 4.56 speed, Cole Payton is the Eagles' latest QB project. Analysing his path to the NFL depth chart.
Cole Payton, who played quarterback at North Dakota State, might end up making a bigger splash as a fifth-round pick than people expect.
He’s not just another late-round flyer, either. An NFL executive recently told insider J.L. Canfora that Payton has real upside. The Eagles have done something similar before, so this isn't coming out of nowhere.
Remember Carson Wentz? Philly grabbed him with the second overall pick back in 2016, but Jalen Hurts ended up taking over. Now, some people around the league think history might repeat itself with Payton possibly replacing Hurts down the road.
The executive went all in on Payton: “You know, I believe in that kid. That was my No. 2 quarterback in the draft. And Howie [Roseman] takes him? Come on. He sees it too. Cole Payton, if you bring him along the right way, can start in this league.”
Roseman, the guy in Philly’s front office, was a big part of the Wentz pick. He’s seen his fair share of quarterback changes over the years, and honestly, that might matter this time, too.
The executive didn’t hold back: “All the stuff you hear about Hurts, all the drama and where he is in his contract." You can call me crazy, but I think this kid could take over from him in a few years. They did this with [Kevin] Kolb, even when [Donovan] McNabb was still there. I know how Howie thinks. This kid has a chance.”
Payton had to wait for his turn at NDSU.
Payton rolled into North Dakota State in 2021, known as a strong recruit for an FCS quarterback, straight out of Omaha.
He was supposed to be the next big thing, just like the string of successful Bison quarterbacks before him. But things didn’t break that way at first. Cam Miller, the QB ahead of him, kept stacking up wins and making a name for himself in Fargo.
Miller even beat out Quincy Patterson II, a gifted dual-threat quarterback who transferred in from Virginia Tech. After Patterson got banged up in 2021, Miller took over, steered the team to a national championship, and then hung on to the starting job through 2024.
Patterson left for Temple, so Payton slid into the Bison’s running packages in a spot that Patterson had filled before. And Payton did more than just fill that role. In 2022, he ran for 284 yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries. By the next year, he really took off: 615 yards and 13 touchdowns on 84 carries.
Setback, then a breakout
Payton started 2024 looking like the same kind of threat on the ground, but a shoulder injury cut his season short. He only managed 164 rushing yards and a score on 21 carries before he went down.
Finally, in 2025, his shot as the full-time starter arrived after Miller left for the NFL draft, drafted by the Raiders in the sixth round. Payton made the most of it. He led NDSU to an unbeaten 12-0 regular season, completing 70% of his passes for 2,719 yards, with 16 touchdowns and just four picks. And he still ran wild, with 777 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 136 carries.
Now, he’s got a fresh chance in Philadelphia. If you ask people around the league, he’s not just there to hold a clipboard. They're watching to see what happens next.
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