NBA Draft: Latest mocks for Sindarius Thornwell, PJ Dozier

We’re officially one week away from the NBA Draft and for the first time in a long time South Carolina Gamecocks fans have a reason to be excited about it.

With their workouts and combines over with, Sindarius Thornwell and PJ Dozier should have their draft positions settled — though depending on which mock draft you look at that’s not the case. And there are a lot of mock drafts out there.

You could look at at least 10 different mocks from different sites who’ll tell you different things. But instead of traversing the bowels of the internet to find out what every single mock had to offer, all you have to do is scroll down the page. That’s right, GABA did all the work for you (you’re welcome).

Not every mock draft you’ll find goes into the second round, which in the case of Thornwell and Dozier is particularly unfortunate because they’re more than likely going to be second round picks. However that isn’t always the case when it comes to Thornwell, who goes in the first round for two different sites.

Sportsblog Fansided has Thornwell going the highest of anyone at 25 to the Orlando Magic, only exceeding the variance of what the internet hoops heads think about the senior from Lancaster. Here’s what author Chris Stone had to say:

For the Orlando Magic, South Carolina’s Sindarius Thornwell is the choice. The 6-foot-5 guard checks all of the boxes for a versatile defender, including a strong frame and a 6-foot-10 wingspan. New general manager John Hammond showed a preference for long players at every position during his tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks and Thornwell would fit that mold.

Bleacher Report was the only other site to give Thornwell a first round grade, but everywhere else he fluctuates around the mid-to-late second round. If you were to average up all the picks it would come out to be 39.2, which falls more in line with the consensus of where hoops heads think Thornwell’s value is. NBA Draft Express, the site which has Thornwell pegged at his lowest spot, had this to say:

His jumper has been falling as consistently as ever, he's been a terror in the open floor, he gets to the free throw line in bundles, and his outstanding rebounding prowess has given South Carolina the ability to utilize him as a deadly face-up 4-man option. Thornwell's average quickness renders him just a decent option in one on one situations, and he lacks a degree of explosiveness which makes him heavily reliant on drawing contact and getting to the free throw line to stay efficient in the half-court.

The lack of a super-explosive first step seems to be the most consistent criticism across the board. His shot release and streaky shooting also appear as frequent detractors. But as for the positives: versatile defense, rebounding and ball handling come across most frequently between the sites.

But back on the topic of fluctuation, you’ll notice there was a lot of disagreement over who would go first between the two Gamecocks. Four different blogs had Dozier going first, while the other saw Thornwell the more enticing prospect. But one thing was clear on Dozier — he is a consensus mid-second round pick.

As to why he falls so far to the back of the line, the experts say offense is to blame. Gamecocks fans know all too well Dozier was no stranger to the 4-for-12 shooting night, but his performance in the NCAA Tournament helped heal some of his offensive perception. Here’s what The Ringer had to say about Dozier’s offensive woes:

Poor shooter who needs to overhaul his mechanics. Flings the ball at the rim. Also subpar from the free throw line. Average feel for the game; his success will largely depend on his athleticism.

If you go to the Ringer’s site they have Dozier’s shooting chart listed, and let’s just say it’s got more red than the Chinese flag. However there are a lot of things to like about Dozier according to the experts, most often cited being his unique size for his position. NBA Draft Net, who had Dozier going the highest of any mock, says this about the legacy Gamecock:

Combo guard with the ability and length to play/defend up three positions on the court... Excels in finishing at the rime and although his dominant hand is his right, has shown the ability to finish with his left ... Good ball handler with both the left and right hands.

Dozier favors a recent NBA Champion in Shaun Livingston, and would be lucky to have a career as good as Livingston did even with the New Jersey native’s horrific injury. But fans won’t know for sure where the Gamecocks will fall until next week when the Draft commences with one of the most highly-touted classes in recent history.