2017 Draft Thread: Clippers select Jawun Evans (39) and Sindarius Thornwell (48)

mttwlsn16 · Post #61 » by **mttwlsn16** » Fri Jun 23, 2017 4:24 am

Thornwell was the SEC Player of the Year in 2016/17, averaging 21.4 PPG to go along with 7.2 RPG and 2.1 SPG. He also upped his shooting percentages to .445/.395/.830, all career-bests.

Ranma · Post #62 » by **Ranma** » Fri Jun 23, 2017 4:25 am

Man, the Warriors, Pacers, Rockets, and Wizards are already on it with post-draft activity.

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Post #63 » by **mkwest** » Fri Jun 23, 2017 4:40 am

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NBA Draft: Two Intriguing (But Flawed) Sleepers

Thornwell is a 6'5" senior guard whom I'd classify as an Extreme Production Prospect. His athleticism is below the elite level for an NBA two-guard or wing, but his productivity in college was so great (Mike Krzyzewski called Thornwell "the best unheralded great player in the United States") that you can't help but wonder if some of it might translate to the league.

There is no perfect, all-encompassing stat for college players, but Sports-Reference.com's Box Plus-Minus, which uses box score stats to estimate how many points per 100 possessions a player is worth above the league average, can at least put Thornwell's traditional-stat productivity in some context. Since 2010-11, when this data began to be available, these are the top 10 BPM college seasons by a major-conference guard, wing or small–ball four:

In an era of increasingly position-less basketball, Thornwell is the only prospect in this draft that I've seen play four positions on offense and guard four positions on defense. His primary college spot was as the 2 or 3, but in 2015-16, when the Gamecocks needed help at point guard, Thornwell chipped in—and this season, when they downshifted to small–ball lineups, they deployed him as a small four who could attack opposing bigs off the bounce. On D, he was strong enough to handle college power forwards in the post, and tenacious enough to be a problem for perimeter scorers like Duke's Luke Kennard, who had one of his worst games of the season while being checked by Thornwell in the NCAA tournament. Thornwell also seems to grasp that while he was a star in college, he'll be a role player in the NBA; at the combine he described himself as "a glue guy" and declared that he was "one of the best defenders in the draft." That's not a modest thing to say, but I think he's right.

Luke Winn, Sports Illustrated

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Brice confirmed that he will play in Summer League.

Ranma · Post #64 » by **Ranma** » Fri Jun 23, 2017 4:52 am

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mttwlsn16 · Post #65 » by **mttwlsn16** » Fri Jun 23, 2017 5:08 am

UNC GUARD Isaiah Hicks? Lol

Post #66 » by **mkwest** » Fri Jun 23, 2017 5:15 am

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Ranma · Post #67 » by **Ranma** » Fri Jun 23, 2017 5:19 am

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Ranma · Post #68 » by **Ranma** » Fri Jun 23, 2017 5:25 am

Like I've said previously, I'm not buying it. It's just Frank covering up for leaks either from Doc's staff or more likely from Phoenix trying to put pressure on the Clippers to deal. This spin is just damage control to protect DJ's fragile ego. It wasn't just Phoenix, but there was also talk of dealing DJ to Boston as Shelburne speculated in an earlier report of the Clips contacting the Celtics with interest in Josh Jackson as well as reported discussion with Detroit and Indiana.

mkwest wrote:

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Ranma · Post #69 » by **Ranma** » Fri Jun 23, 2017 6:51 am

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Post #70 » by **mkwest** » Fri Jun 23, 2017 7:28 am

Isaiah Hicks

Spoiler:

Sindarius Thornwell

Spoiler:

Jawun Evans

Spoiler:

Quake Griffin · Post #71 » by **Quake Griffin** » Fri Jun 23, 2017 1:17 pm

Are these guys going to actually play or just go to the D-League?

janmagn · Post #72 » by **janmagn** » Fri Jun 23, 2017 2:23 pm

Quake Griffin wrote:Are these guys going to actually play or just go to the D-League?

Evans I see playing if Doc doesn't give those minutes to his son without reason. Thornwell can play the 3, so I think he will get some minutes

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MartinToVaught · Post #73 » by **MartinToVaught** » Fri Jun 23, 2017 2:58 pm

Quake Griffin wrote:Are these guys going to actually play or just go to the D-League?

They might get five garbage-time minutes each at the most. Then when they don't immediately look like superstars, Doc has his excuse to never play them again. :noway:

Kobblehead · Post #74 » by **Kobblehead** » Fri Jun 23, 2017 3:22 pm

LOVE your draft.

You got great value with both picks.

Roscoe Sheed · Post #75 » by **Roscoe Sheed** » Fri Jun 23, 2017 4:17 pm

Quake Griffin wrote:Are these guys going to actually play or just go to the D-League?

It probably depends on what happens with cp3 and Griffin

madmaxmedia · Post #76 » by **madmaxmedia** » Fri Jun 23, 2017 4:35 pm

We've generally avoided focusing too heavily on stats during this grading process, but Sindarius Thornwell has one so outstanding that we can't resist. During his final season at South Carolina, he emerged as such a stellar two-way player that he led the entire NCAA in NBA Math's total points added metric, narrowly edging out UCLA's Lonzo Ball and Wisconsin's Ethan Happ.

Thornwell can do everything well, whether he's functioning as a bona fide stopper, dishing out assists from a non-traditional position or calling his own number. It's only his age (22) and lack of pedigree that held him back in the draft, since he didn't break out until his senior year.

The Los Angeles Clippers may have unearthed this draft class' biggest gem.

Grade: A+

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2717322-2017-nba-draft-grades-for-every-pick

madmaxmedia · Post #77 » by **madmaxmedia** » Fri Jun 23, 2017 4:39 pm

MartinToVaught wrote:
Quake Griffin wrote:Are these guys going to actually play or just go to the D-League?

They might get five garbage-time minutes each at the most. Then when they don't immediately look like superstars, Doc has his excuse to never play them again.

I think that starts to change this year with Jerry. Obviously he won't be making game night coaching decisions, but he will likely keep an eye on their development in camp, summer league, etc. and make sure they are on a good development plan going forward.

Quake Griffin · Post #78 » by **Quake Griffin** » Fri Jun 23, 2017 4:40 pm

Wonder how much input Jerry had on these picks

madmaxmedia · Post #79 » by **madmaxmedia** » Fri Jun 23, 2017 4:40 pm

And the other one, wow Bleacher Report really likes our picks. Did Jerry West write this article for them? :lol:

Does this mean it's officially time to say goodbye to Chris Paul?

After the selection of Jawun Evans, the Los Angeles Clippers now boast the services of a high-upside point guard. But he could also function as a top-notch backup, so don't write off the return of the All-Star floor general quite yet.

Creating his own shot might be difficult at the NBA level, given his 6'1" frame and lack of mind-numbing hops. But Evans consistently thrived as a two-way player for Oklahoma State, as he could use his quickness and vision to keep defenses on their collective toes while showing a complete understanding of the Cowboys' defensive schemes. Couple that with top-notch floor vision and the ability to squeeze the rock into the spaces he could find, and you start to understand how he averaged 19.2 points and 6.4 assists as a sophomore.

Some players just understand the game, and Evans is one of them.

Grade: A+

MartinToVaught · Post #80 » by **MartinToVaught** » Fri Jun 23, 2017 4:42 pm

I will say this: I do like Thornwell as a player. I really enjoyed watching him and South Carolina's whole team during March Madness. I hope he becomes a key player for us. But I'll believe Doc is willing and/or able to develop a young player who isn't related to him when I see it.