Will Thornton fit in New Orleans?

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By Joshua Davidson

After waiting a bit longer than expected, former LSU guard Marcus Thornton was selected as the 43rd pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat and then immediately traded to the New Orleans Hornets for two future second round picks.

Thornton was the only former LSU player selected, as Chris Johnson, Garrett Temple, Quinton Thornton and Terry Martin went undrafted as expected by most experts. Chris Johnson may find his way onto a practice squad while the others will have to seek employment somewhere else.

The move was great for the Hornets, who received first round quality talent for the price of two future picks. Thornton has the potential to bring some needed scoring from the perimeter and a toughness that is rare for a player his size. With little money to make any free agent signings during the offseason, the Hornets knew that they had to improve their team through the draft.

Thornton increased his stats across the board during his senior season at LSU, averaging 21 points, five and a half rebounds and two assists. The rebounding numbers should be a huge boost for a Hornet club that saw its two main shooting guards combine to average around five rebounds a game.

After hearing talk of Thornton's stock rising in the weeks leading up to the draft, many draft analysts believed Thornton would go somewhere from the 20th pick to 30th pick. Falling to the 43rd overall pick and the 13th pick of the second round, Thornton was a huge steal for the Hornets, who used their first round pick, the 21st overall, to take former UCLA point guard Darren Collison.

Collison was a bit of a shock for the Hornets to take, since they have the best point guard in the world in Chris Paul and have more glaring needs on the team than a backup point guard. Thornton fits the bill for the club more accurately since the club doesn't really have a true number two guard, and he has the ability to score outside as well as driving the ball to the hoop

The one knock on Thornton, according to the ESPN experts, is "a lack of size and athleticism." This is completely not the case when it comes to Marcus Thornton, who by all standards plays much bigger than you might expect from a 6'4'' wing player. In fact, he is like a carbon copy of NBA All-Star Michael Redd and just as good a shooter as Chicago's Ben Gordon, who is several inches shorter.

The lack of a dynamic scorer in crunch time situations has hurt the Hornets over the last several years. Sure, Chris Paul is outstanding and David West is known to shoot the dagger every now and then, but every team needs a consistent wing man waiting on the corners, biting the chance to win the game. Peja was supposed to be that man for the Hornets but has been a shell of himself over the past few seasons.

LSU will miss Marcus Thornton's killer instinct on the floor next season, and college basketball fans are grateful for all the memories he gave us throughout the past two seasons. That being said, the Hornets just got their hands on a diamond in the rough and should be pleased with the outcome over the next several years.

Originally Published: Issue 806 - July 1, 2009

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