Marcus Thornton is a restricted free agent, but after producing quite well with the Sacramento Kings last season, there's little doubt that he'll have several NBA teams ready to sign him to an offer sheet this offseason. The Kings have the right to match any of those offers, however, causing many to believe the stocky shooting guard will remain in Sacramento to start the season.
NBA Free Agents: Marcus Thornton Likely Will Return To Sacramento Kings
Marcus Thornton is a restricted free agent, but he showed during the second half of last season that he can be a solid contributor. Was it solid enough to make the Sacramento Kings agree to match any offer sheet provided this offseason?
Thornton was acquired by the Kings in February from the New Orleans Hornets for Carl Landry and cash considerations after not being given much of a shot in Monty Williams' rotation due to his defensive deficiencies. The 6-foot-4 shooter blossomed in Sacramento, though, as SB Nation's Tom Ziller noted in his post breaking down the top NBA free agents.
The Kings landed Thornton at midseason, and he just exploded. He averaged 21.3 points in 38 minutes per game with Sacramento, soaking up a goodly number of shots (24 percent usage rate) and finishing at about league-average efficiency in the process. He actually availed himself as a passer, as well, registering a 15 percent assist rate. All of that came in just 27 games, sure. But it mimics Thornton's 2009-10 performance in New Orleans, where under Jeff Bower he had a longer leash. Monty Williams yanked that in because, in part, Thornton is admittedly a flawed defender.
Ziller later noted that Thornton is probably best as a sixth man considering his flaws on defense and propensity to put points on the scoreboard above all else, making this truncated offseason all the more interesting for the the third-year pro. What exactly is the market for an undersized scorer off the bench?
For more on Thornton and the Kings, be sure to check out Sactown Royalty. You can follow the latest news and rumors with our comprehensive NBA Free Agency StoryStream and find unparalleled insight in Ziller’s Best NBA Free Agents 2011 cheat sheet.
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