Marcus Thornton Can Carve Real Role on Shooting-Starved Boston Celtics
Coming off their third-worst season in franchise history, with holes up and down their roster and the unreachable expectation of filling them all right away, one of the last things the Boston Celtics likely felt entering the summer was, “We need Marcus Thornton!”
The 27-year-old journeyman shooting guard just wrapped up the worst season of his career, posting a combined 51.1 true shooting percentage and a 12.0 player efficiency rating in minor roles with the Sacramento Kings and Brooklyn Nets.
His field-goal percentage cratered below 40 percent.
Making matters worse, Thornton still had one more year on a $31.1 million contract given to him back in 2011. It’s an expiring deal right now, but HoopsHype indicates he’s still set to make $8.7 million this season, which is a major overpayment.
This is the exact sort of player Boston does not want, a retread who spent the past five seasons proving his ceiling was that of a poor man’s Jamal Crawford. But here we are, and Thornton is a Celtic.
We already know why the Celtics did what they did: Absorbing Thornton’s contract into their trade exception allowed Boston to acquire Tyler Zeller—a young 7-footer on a rookie-scale contract through the 2015-16 season—and a top-10-protected 2016 first-round draft pick from the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Those are valuable commodities too good to pass up for a rebuilding team that needs as many assets as it can gather.
But looking past all the terribleness associated with Thornton's recent past, in what’s almost assuredly his only season with the team, is there any way he can help the Celtics?
Sure, of course there is.
Thornton wasn’t a very good NBA player last year, but he hasn't lost the definable skill set Boston sorely lacked last season. He can shoot and score.
It sounds one-dimensional because it is, but Thornton’s ability to create his own shot, attack in transition and—potentially—space the floor could earn him some playing time and help clean a sludgy offense.
The probability of him consistently performing well enough to become a trade asset—a la Jordan Crawford last season—is small. Thornton’s contract is expiring, yes, but the dollar amount is humongous, which limits possible trade partners who are wary of venturing into the luxury tax.
Add in the fact that Boston’s backcourt is far too crowded for him to make any noticeable impression without stepping outside Brad Stevens’ offensive system—Rajon Rondo, Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley, Evan Turner and James Young are all ready to party—and there's an extremely slim chance that Thornton makes a worthy impression on any potential trade partners.
But if he fits in and excels in the role he’s given, Thornton can do some good.
Here’s the Boston Herald’s Mark Murphy with some insight on how Thornton is viewed, along with what general manager Danny Ainge thinks:
"On a playoff team, he would be sixth man material.
On a rebuilding lottery unit such as the Celtics, he could fill a significant scoring void that became a little too obvious over the second half of last year’s 25-win season.
“I’ve known about Marcus and his game for quite awhile,” Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said yesterday. “We’ve always had a lot of guards, but not really. He’s just a guy who came available and became a good opportunity for us. He can score some points off the bench and we can use his scoring experience.”
"
As a team, the Celtics finished with the league’s third-worst accuracy behind the three-point line last season, shooting a paltry 33.3 percent. They also launched the 18th-most threes in the league.
If they’re to improve their offense and give themselves a chance to win against teams that clearly trump their talent, Boston must embrace the three-point shot.
Improving the accuracy is an obvious must, at least, and Thornton can help. He made 37.2 percent of his threes two years ago, posting a 49 percent three-point rate—meaning 49 percent of all his field-goal attempts were threes.
He lacks a conscience and is well aware that his ability to put the ball in the basket is the only reason he's still in the league.
Aside from last season’s struggle, Thornton’s PER has never dipped below league average, either. He’s had bright days in the past and could be the offensive spark off the bench that Boston sorely needs.
Playing him in the backcourt beside Smart may be a good start, allowing the rookie to focus on distribution and running a second-team offense while Thornton can just do what he does best.
Once Rondo returns, mixing Thornton into the starting lineup alongside the team’s franchise player, Jeff Green and the talented young frontcourt could also be a nice fit.
It’s unclear what to make of Thornton’s 2013-14 season as it pertains to this one. It's also unsafe to assume he’ll bounce back to the level of production witnessed through the previous four years.
But if Thornton can accept a reduced role and get back to being an efficient, moderate-volume shooter, the Celtics may have a productive piece they never really wanted in the first place.
All statistics are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com or NBA.com unless otherwise noted.
Michael Pina covers the NBA for Bleacher Report, Sports on Earth, Fox Sports, ESPN, Grantland and elsewhere. Follow him on Twitter @MichaelVPina.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
