Pittsburgh Native Included in ESPN’s 2025 NBA Mock Draft

It is never too early to project who will get selected in the NBA Draft according to some national sites.

ESPN, among others, has already released a projected 2025 NBA Mock Draft, just one day after the 2024 NBA Draft wrapped up. The 2025 mock does not include any players from Pitt, Duquesne, or Robert Morris, but does include a prospect who is originally from Pittsburgh.

ESPN has former Quaker Valley star Adou Thiero going No. 32 overall in the projection. Thiero is a 6-foot-8. 220-pound guard/forward who joined the Razorbacks this spring. After playing two seasons at Kentucky for head coach John Calipari, Thiero decided to follow Calipari to Fayetteville when he took the Arkansas job in a monumental move.

Thiero will be a junior this upcoming season. As a sophomore, he appeared in 25 games for the Cats. Thiero averaged 7.2 points and 4.96 rebounds per game on the year. Per Arkansas’ team notes, Thiero led the Kentucky team in rebounding in eight separate games and scored at least ten points five times. Thiero exploded for 16 points and 13 rebounds last season in an early-season contest against Kansas.

Following the season, Thiero entered the transfer portal, where he was recruited by programs all over the country, including his hometown team Pitt. During the process, Thiero took a visit to Pitt and included the Panthers in his top five list. He eventually chose Arkansas, and joins a loaded roster that includes Johnell Davis (FAU transfer), Boogie Fland (five-star freshman), Jonas Aidoo (Tennessee transfer), DJ Wagner (Kentucky transfer), and more.