Last year, Sindarius Thornwell was drafted in the second round of the 2017 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, but his draft rights were immediately traded to Los Angeles, leading him to play his rookie season for the Clippers. Fans have seen the grind and upside he can provide now that his first NBA season is complete.
Thornwell started 16 games and had minutes in a total of 73 games. He made his NBA debut on Oct. 19 at the Lakers where he played the final 3:24 of the fourth quarter and tallied three points.
Much of the grind that Thornwell faced this year was transitioning from his heavily involved role at South Carolina to being a NBA rookie working hard to earn minutes. Thornwell accredits the coaching of Frank Martin for preparing him for the hard times he went through this season.
“It helped me through the tough times that I'm going to go through this season," Thornwell said. "For him being tough on me, hard on me, it prepared me mentally for these tough times when things aren't going my way or I'm not playing as much as I want to.”
The rookie grind was rewarded on Nov. 10 as Thornwell made his first career start due to an injured Patrick Beverly. He dropped 10 points, his first double digit scoring effort of the season, and had a season-high two blocks.
Thornwell made his NBA homecoming on Nov. 18 when the Clippers came to Charlotte to face the Hornets. The Lancaster, South Carolina, native was happy to see some familiar faces in the crowd and noticed a lot of Gamecock fans that made the trip up to the Queen City. He notched another start, going for five points and three assists. After the final buzzer rang, Thornwell took off his jersey and gave it to his former AAU coach who he accredited for discovering him.
Thornwell faced LeBron James twice this season, with an impeccable performance in his March 9 game in Los Angeles. The rookie started at forward and spent significant time guarding James. In the first half, Thornwell showed off his defensive skills and James was contained to just eight points. Thornwell ended the night with 11 points and three rebounds as the Clippers won 116-102.
The rookie also showed fans what he was made of on April 9 against the Pelicans. Thornwell logged three career-highs: 20 points, seven assists and nine made field goals. The game ended in a three point loss for the Clippers, however the game will hardly be remembered for it. Late in the fourth quarter, Thornwell went coast to coast delivering a posterizing dunk over Pelicans guard DeAndre Liggins that made waves throughout social media.
Thornwell only averaged 3.9 points and 1.9 rebounds per game in his rookie year, however he has shown fans glimpses of the greatness that he is capable of through the season.
The Clippers went 42-40 on the year and did not make the NBA playoffs, ending Thornwell's rookie year, but he's ready to go back out there for another season in just a few months.