A Royal Pain
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A Royal Prospect: Sindarius Thornwell

By Jonathan Roberts

Mar 19, 2017; Greenville, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Sindarius Thornwell (0) celebrates with South Carolina Gamecocks guard PJ Dozier (15) during the second half in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 19, 2017; Greenville, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Sindarius Thornwell (0) celebrates with South Carolina Gamecocks guard PJ Dozier (15) during the second half in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Coming off an incredible, if not improbable, run to the NCAA Tournaments Final Four, Sindarius Thornwell is a potential steal for the Kings in the second round of the draft. Last year’s SEC Player of the Year, Thornwell is coming off a season in which he averaged over 21 points and 7.1 rebounds a game, per ESPN. While his draft stock has gone up since the tournament, he might be in play for Sacramento early in round two.

Strengths:

Thornwell proved himself to be an excellent leader and an elite defender in the tourney. The heart and soul of the Gamecocks, he opened eyes to his talent throughout March Madness. He’s also a multi-position player having seen action playing 2 through 4 this season. As a four-year player for South Carolina, he consistently gave his all on both sides of the floor.

At 210lbs standing at 6′-5″, with a 6′-9″ wingspan, he has the size to thrive in the NBA without a doubt. Thornwell is an excellent rebounder for his size and is a lockdown defender because of it.

In addition to all this, he is a solid shooter. He only hit on 44% of his field goal attempts but drilled 39% of his threes. Thornwell was also near automatic shooter at the line hitting 83% of his free throws.

Check out the highlight video below to see some of Sindarius Thornwell’s talents for yourself.  Enjoy.

Weaknesses:

Thornwell’s biggest knock potentially is his age. At 22, he’s nearly a finished product. As shown with players in the past such as Buddy Hield, age can work against you in the NBA.

Aside from this, he isn’t the most athletic player in the world.  NBAdraft.net highlights his lack of an explosive first step which has some scouts worried. A sentiment which was backed up by CBS Sports’ Sam Vecinie in an SB Nation interview.

Fit with Sacramento

Sindarius Thornwell would be a good fit in Sacramento. With his size, he could feasibly play a guard/forward combo role off the bench. This positional versatility could prove valuable for the Kings, especially if Sacramento does not retain Rudy Gay. While not a future centerpiece at either position, he brings the leadership of a vet and the big game experience to Sacramento.

The Kings don’t boast a threatening bench unit, and drafting Thornwell would help alleviate some concerns about the group. He would immediately add some much-needed depth.
Thornwell has all the tools to become a vital role player for whatever team drafts him in June.

Short term, Thornwell can make an immediate impact. While he needs polishing, a full NBA season with regular minutes could do the trick. He brings an NBA ready defensive talent, not dissimilar to Danny Green to the table right off the bat. Something this Kings squad desperately needs to improve on.

Next: A Royal Prospect: Josh Jackson

Long term, Thornwell could be an impact role player for a playoff team. It’s not impossible to envision him becoming a Danny Green/Tony Allen type player in the NBA defensively. All in all, it would be prudent for Sacramento to, at the very least, do their due diligence on him.

*All Stats From ESPN

**All Measurements From NBADraft.net

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