NBA Draft: Sindarius Thornwell selected in second round, headed to Los Angeles Clippers

Over the past week numerous mock drafts have had Sindarius Thornwell slipping further and further down the second round, with two mocks completely omitting him from the night’s selection.

However, fans of the South Carolina Gamecocks and Thornwell’s camp can take a sigh of relief now that Thornwell is headed to the Los Angeles Clippers. Seconds before the Milwaukee Bucks selected him with the 48th pick, they traded the rights to the pick to Los Angeles.

Had Thornwell not had a superb senior year, there’s no way the Lancaster, S.C. native would be sitting in the position he’s in now. In his first three seasons, Thornwell averaged 12.7 ppg at a 42.7 eFG%. Even with his great defense, those kind of offensive numbers were never going to cut it in the league. It wasn’t until his senior season, when he would average 21.4 ppg at a 51.1 eFG%, when Thornwell played himself into tonight’s event.

So what does Thornwell bring to the table for the Clippers? Here’s a list of the strengths and weaknesses for the SEC Player of the Year:

Strengths:

1. Defense: Can effectively defend four different positions and pick pockets.
2. Playmaking: Runs the pick-and-roll well and can bring the ball up the court
3. Strength: Is an effective rebounder for his size and bullies opponents for baskets

Weaknesses:

1. Shooting range: Needs to develop a more consistent three-pointer
2. Explosiveness: Doesn’t have a great first step to blow by defenders on the dribble
3. Ceiling: At 22, how much more room does Thornwell have to develop?