5 Players to watch at the NBA Draft Combine
Sindarius Thornwell, South Carolina
No player in the Combine probably helped his draft stock more in the NCAA Tournament than Sindarius Thornwell.
In leading the South Carolina Gamecocks to the program’s first NCAA Tournament Final Four, Thornwell made a name for himself on the national scene. He was doing yeoman’s work all year putting up points for a plucky South Carolina team.
Thornwell ended the year averaging 21.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. He shot a 51.1 percent effective field goal percentage. In the NCAA Tournament, he posted 23.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while shooting 56.3 percent effective field goal percentage. Thornwell became an efficient scoring machine.
That is largely what he was all year for South Carolina, carrying the team through parts of the season.
What is interesting about Thornwell’s game is he seems capable of fitting into a role. He does not need the ball to succeed necessarily, especially as his shot continues to improve.
He shot a career-best 39.5 percent from beyond the arc last year. That was impressive considering his volume went to a career-high 4.5 attempts per game. Thornwell seemed to be improving his shooting.
He may be a small forward in the mold of P.J. Tucker. Someone who can hit an open 3-pointer and attack aggressively while providing some presence on the glass. The Magic would look to him as a bench player who can, on occasion, take over when surrounded by shooters.
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And like Tucker, Thornwell is a solidly built perimeter defender too. He would seem to fit a lot of what the Magic want on the defensive end with his physicality and length.
At the very least, he should get some consideration if he is still available early in the second round.
The shooting thing is going to be the sticking point for Thornwell. He can improve his stock greatly by having a good performance in the shooting drills that take place. If he plays in the scrimmages, he can dominate and show off his playmaking and scoring ability too.
This could be a big moment for Thornwell to climb into the first round if he continues to play well.
Teams may pass on him because he stayed in school four years. But there will surely be a team that sees his defensive potential and see that as a plus for him contributing quickly.