NBA Draft Blog Interview with Marcus Thornton

The first few years of Marcus Thornton’s college career at Georgia were not the easiest for him. After playing 32 games as a freshman in a reserve role, knee surgeries in his sophomore and junior seasons overshadowed his improvement on the floor. The last knee surgery came after just nine games in his junior year, but Thornton was able to get the year back with a medical redshirt.

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Once he was fully healthy in 2013, Thornton started to again show the promise he showed pre-injury. In his redshirt junior season, Thornton averaged over 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 block per game, while building a reputation as one of the conference’s toughest forwards.  It was just a prelude to a very good senior season, where Thornton posted career highs in points (12.3), rebounds (7.3) and field goal percentage (48.0), while also being a major factor in helping the Bulldogs get back the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011.

His college playing career ended with a loss to eventual Final Four team Michigan State in the Round of 64, though Thornton went out with a double-double, 12 points and 10 rebounds. His college career over, and his pro career soon to begin, Thornton was able to look back and see how far he’s come since starting at Georgia in 2010.

“My time at Georgia definitely helped me mature as a person,” said Thornton. “I wouldn’t be who I am now without going through all I did these past five years. Dealing with injuries taught me to not take things for granted.”

In 2010, Thornton was named “Mr. Basketball” in Georgia, a state known for producing great basketball talent. When it came time decide on college, he knew the opportunity to stay close to home was too good to pass up. “Getting to play close to home was special to me, and such a unique experience,” said Thornton. “Playing in front of family and friends so often made my college experience that much better.”

Thornton developed as a player on the court as well, and as he prepares to work out for NBA teams, he realizes what his strengths will be compared to other players. “My biggest strengths are the intangibles, toughness, and defense,” Thornton explained. “My physical style of play will work well at the next level.”

There are still areas of his game that Thornton knows will be important for him to improve, especially over the next few months. “I know my offensive skills can be improved,” said Thornton. “In college, I did all of my work near the basket, so I need to show I can hit the mid-range jumper consistently.”

While the Southeastern Conference (SEC) gets knocked by many for not being a “basketball” conference due to the national reputation of their football teams, Thornton sees it differently. “The SEC was a terrific basketball conference and definitely helped me grow as a player,” said Thornton. “A lot of people see it as just two teams (Kentucky and Florida), but there are so many good teams and players. Knowing you are going to have to play Kentucky makes you realize that you need to raise your game to another level.”

Thornton has already had one opportunity to show NBA and international personnel what he can do, taking part in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, where he averaged over 13 points and almost 6 rebounds, as well as 2 blocks, per game. “Portsmouth was a tremendous experience, and I was honored to be included with such a talented group of seniors,” said Thornton. “I was able to gain a lot of confidence playing so well among all those good players.”

Now, Thornton is ready for even more chances to show teams what he can do to help improve them in some way. “I know my toughness and versatility on defense can help teams right away,” said Thornton. “The challenges I’ve faced in college have definitely prepared me more for what’s ahead.”

Thornton looks forward to wherever his career takes him next, and getting the chance to make an impact, on and off the court. “Whatever a team needs me to do to win games, I’m all in,” said Thornton. “I can do what’s needed on the floor, and be a great spokesperson and example off the court.”

Thornton’s play in college really started to shine through in his junior and senior seasons, so it’s easy to see that there is still a lot of potential for him to grow as a player over the coming years.

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