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Adou Thiero said the Los Angeles Lakers responded to a direct halftime message from JJ Redick during Tuesday’s 124-98 preseason loss to the Golden State Warriors, while emphasizing decision-making as the main area of his development.

“I feel like being out there already, we kind of already knew that we had to get it under control,” Thiero said after the Lakers fell behind 81-53 by halftime. “Coming in and being able to talk about it at halftime, JJ came in, he just let us know straight forward what it was and I feel like, you know, we did a better job going out there and meeting his expectations.”

Thiero started and played 17 minutes, finishing with seven points on 3-of-6 shooting, four rebounds and two turnovers. The Lakers were outscored by 12 points during his minutes, while Golden State shot 51% overall and 43% from three-point range.

Thiero was also asked about the growth Redick has highlighted during training camp and the specific area he has worked on most.

“Just my decision making,” Thiero said. “Knowing when to play off to overpowering the defender going up and finishing or, you know, being able to hit my teammates for open shots.”

Thiero said the improvement comes primarily through repetition rather than a single adjustment.

“I feel like it’s reps, just going out, starting off getting those reps in practice, already understanding the offense and how I can help the offense and then getting those reps in the game,” he said.

Redick has also discussed Thiero’s athleticism and his ability to become a dominant presence around the basket. Thiero said he has focused on recognizing when to rely on that athleticism and when to show more patience.

“I’ll say I just felt like I’ve been getting better with it throughout the summer and realizing when to use my athleticism,” Thiero said. “But then again, I feel like there’s also times where I’ll be able to jump with three people and still go dunk the ball.”

Thiero added that confidence remains part of that calculation: “Just me having that confidence in myself and knowing what I can do in each situation.”

The rookie also credited Matisse Thybulle, who was unavailable for Tuesday’s game, with helping him defensively during training camp.

“We was talking about defense,” Thiero said. “That’s what he’s been helping me with the whole time and just letting me know to, you know, pick my spots when I want to be aggressive, when not to, ways to keep the ball in front and just telling me different things defensively.”

Thiero was also asked about an awkward landing on a recent dunk. He acknowledged that landing safely can be difficult when attacking the basket aggressively but said it remains something he is monitoring.

“It was awkward, but I’m fine coming out of it,” Thiero said. “Definitely will be better about it, but some situations where it’s difficult to worry about the landing. But it’s definitely still something on my radar.”