NBA Rookie Ladder: March Madness memories

4. Sindarius Thornwell vs Duke (24 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists)

The darlings of last year’s NCAA Tournament were the South Carolina Gamecocks. Frank Martin’s team was led by senior Sindarius Thornwell as they made an unexpected run to the 2017 Final Four. However, the game that stands out the most was their second round victory over title-favorites Duke in the second round. The Blue Devils were favored heavily, but the Gamecocks landed the first blow and quickly turned the Greenville, South Carolina crowd into a mock home-court advantage.

Thornwell’s 24 points led both teams, but most impressive part of this game was his defensive impact on the game. Thornwell spent time guarding Jayson Tatum, Grayson Allen, and Luke Kennard during the course of this game showcasing that he could guard multiple positions and NBA-caliber players (both Tatum and Kennard would go on to be drafted in the lottery of the 2017 NBA Draft).

At 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, Thornwell was a jack-of-all-trades type of multi-positional player for South Carolina. As we’ve seen with the Houston Rockets this year, Thornwell had an impact similar to what P.J. Tucker has defensively. Meanwhile, he was the guy they went to when they really needed a basket. His ability to drive to the rim and shoot, both of the catch and off the dribble, made him a tough cover for most collegiate wings.

South Carolina’s run to the Final Four in Arizona helped elevate Thornwell’s draft stock in the long run. The Los Angeles Clippers ended up acquiring him from the Milwaukee Bucks with the 48th pick in the second round. As the Clippers have remodeled themselves on the fly this year –trading Chris Paul to Houston over the summer and Blake Griffin to Detroit at the deadline–  playing time has opened up for the rookie. He’s responded by displaying the same all-around skills that helped him spearhead the Gamecocks run to the biggest stage in college basketball.