Everything you need to know about each member of the LA Clippers before the season begins
Like Teodosic, Sindarius Thornwell was another suspected roster cut ahead of yesterday’s deadline. One of LA’s two second-round acquisitions from the 2017 NBA Draft, Thornwell came on late last season as a versatile two-way option with a solid three-point stroke.
This season, Thornwell projects to be a slightly-better version of himself. At 23 years old, we can’t be too sure about how much better he’ll actually get, but he definitely looks like he’s made improvements.
For one thing, Thornwell looks like he’s slimmed down a bit. The swingman appears faster and much more lean than he did at the beginning of his rookie season.
He also looked more efficient with the ball in Summer League and preseason play, and his shot looked marginally better as well.
However, the reason Thornwell is still here is because of his versatility and multi-dimensionality (which is becoming a bit of a trend, here). With the ability to play point, shooting guard, and small forward, Sin seriously improves his worth on a loaded roster. He can defend the same positions as well, and even managed to do well with some of the larger wings in the game last season, including LeBron James. In his eighth start as a member of the LA Clippers, Thornwell posted a plus-minus rating of +21 against The King, compared to his -16. And yes, Sin was James’ primary defender all night long.
Thornwell will likely spend most of his time with the third unit, but don’t be surprised if he works his way up for a few games.