Sindarius Thornwell's NBA rookie season is over. Here's how the Gamecock great fared
On June 22, 2017, Sindarius Thornwell became the first former South Carolina player in 11 years to be selected in the NBA draft. Wednesday evening — some 293 days later — Thornwell’s rookie season with the Los Angeles Clippers came to an end.
The Clippers were in playoff contention until this past weekend. Thornwell started 16 games and played in 73, making him the most used Gamecock in the league since Alex English appeared in 79 games for the Dallas Mavericks in 1990-91. (Brent Price, who transferred from South Carolina to Oklahoma in the middle of his college career, logged 81 games for the Washington Bullets in 1995-96.)
Thornwell finished with averages of 3.9 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 15.8 minutes per game.
“I think it was all just growing, staying with it, staying consistent with it,” Thornwell, looking back on his rookie year, told reporters in LA on Monday. “Whether I was playing or not, just coming in and working every day, and keeping my confidence, that’s the biggest thing, getting the opportunity and taking advantage of the opportunity.
“Stay with it. Keep grinding and wait for my opportunity.”
Here’s a review of Year 1 of Thornwell in the NBA with highlights of his top moments:
1. Best for (nearly) last
On Monday against the New Orleans Pelicans, Thornwell put an exclamation point on his rookie season with a career-high 20 points and seven assists.
The game — a 113-110 loss at the Staples Center — will be best remembered for one thing, however. Late in the fourth quarter, Thornwell threw down a monster dunk over DeAndre Liggins that had Twitter buzzing.
Thornwell, speaking to reporters afterward, was modest in his detailing of the play.
“I saw it was a guard,” the 6-foot-5 Thornwell said of facing the 6-6 Liggins. “When I know it’s a guard, now we’re the same size. It wasn’t like it was AD (Pelicans All-Star forward Anthony Davis) sitting under the rim or anybody like that.
“So when I drove the ball, I saw it was a guard waiting on me under the rim, so I just figured he would have to meet me at the rim.”
2. A show for LeBron
Thornwell had a couple meetings with the game’s best player, but none more noteworthy than March 9 in LA.
The Clippers, then fighting for their playoff lives, upset LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers 116-102. Thornwell, who routinely found himself matched against the four-time MVP, started and finished with 14 points in 37 minutes, both career-bests at the time.
(James had 25 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.)
“(Thornwell) had last started a game Dec. 15 at Washington,” Broderick Turner of the LA Times wrote afterward. “But this start was different because the Clippers are in a race for a Western Conference playoff spot, and Thornwell did his part to help his team maintain its position as the eighth seed.”
3. Another rim-rattler
The Clippers won three in a row in late March, keeping them in the playoff hunt. Included in this mini-hot streak was a 105-98 victory against the Milwaukee Bucks in which Thornwell scored six points, including two via a highlight-reel dunk.
The Bucks took Thornwell with the 48th pick of the 2017 draft, but traded the SEC player of the year to the Clippers shortly thereafter.
4. First start
On Nov. 10 at Oklahoma City, Thornwell, filling in for an injured Patrick Beverley, became the first South Carolina alumnus to start an NBA game since Renaldo Balkman eight seasons earlier.
Thornwell scored 10 points that evening as the Clippers fell to the Thunder by nine. He went on to start five of the next six games, taking on defensive assignments such as James, Russell Westbrook and Kemba Walker.
5. Homecoming
Thornwell, the pride of Lancaster, S.C., must have felt he had the whole town watching him Nov. 18 when the Clippers came to Charlotte to face the Hornets.
Thornwell started that evening at the Spectrum Center and then — when it was all over — he greeted a strong turnout of familiar faces waiting for him.
“To have my family and friends support me and cheer me on was great,” Thornwell said. “You really don’t get that too often playing in Cali. I don’t really get that too often. So this right here means a lot to me.”
This story was originally published April 12, 2018 at 8:34 AM with the headline "Sindarius Thornwell's NBA rookie season is over. Here's how the Gamecock great fared."