Marcus Thornton To Have Big Role With Celtics?

By Evan Massey | Oct 15, 2014

Oct 8, 2014; Hartford, CT, USA; Boston Celtics guard Marcus Thornton (4) drives the ball to the basket against the New York Knicks in the second half at XL Center. The Celtics defeated the New York Knicks 106-86. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /

Will Marcus Thornton be a difference maker for the Boston Celtics this season?

The Boston Celtics are hoping to shock the world and make a run at the NBA Playoffs this coming season, but they are going to need some players to step up in a big way. One of those players is veteran shooting guard Marcus Thornton, who was acquired in a trade this past offseason. Thornton has proven himself as a good scorer in the past, and will likely have a fairly prominent role in the rotation for Boston this season.

From Bleacher Report:

"Thus far during his Beantown tenure, Thornton is proving he deserves more minutes, especially because he’s one of the few players in the backcourt who can capably space out the court.Through four preseason games, the shooting guard is averaging a team-high 15 points per game, doing so while shooting 43.1 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc. He’s taken 6.3 triples during the average contest, and that combination of value and efficiency should be helping him carve out a larger role."

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At the age of 27, Thornton will be asked to be a veteran leader for the young Celtics this coming season. He has the ability to get to the rim and score as well as shoot the three-point shot, which gives him exactly what head coach Brad Stevens needs coming off of the bench. James Young was drafted this past offseason, and he will also be able to look at Thornton as a mentor.

Last season split between the Kings and Nets, Thornton averaged 9.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. He is going to be asked to have much more production in Boston than he did last year, and he will come through. There is no doubt that he has the talent to make a difference for the Celtics, and assuming he gets the playing time that is exactly what he will do.

Thornton was a very underrated addition this past offseason, and might end up being one of the biggest difference makers that were acquired in the offseason The Celtics likely won’t make the playoffs, but they aren’t going to be a pushover either. It will be very intriguing to see what type of numbers Thornton is able to put up this coming season.

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