Sindarius Thornwell outplays everybody, drops 26 points in debut

Thanks to the Las Vegas Summer League, Sindarius Thornwell is showing he was worth it already.

In his debut, Sindarius Thornwell was able to outshine Lonzo Ball by himself. Head to head, Thornwell threw down for 26 points while Lonzo Ball scored just five.

Additionally, Thornwell seemed to thrive under the pressure, as it was unclear what good expectations would be for him right away. He scored tremendously well while shooting 6-13 from the field and making 14-18 from the free throw line.

Los Angeles is going to need everything he has in the tank this season. As a rookie, he could do one of two things. Either he’ll excel and impress them enough to have a roster spot, or have to grow his game in the G-League.

The latter won’t be likely if his performances are anything like his debut, though. Not only did Thornwell shine in comparison to Lonzo Ball, but he went toe to toe with another second overall pick in Brandon Ingram. Both players were the highest scorers with 26 apiece, but it goes to show you how well the Clippers rookie really did.

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Thornwell thrived off pressure while in college, guiding South Carolina to the Final Four. That, like his debut, was unexpected, but a welcome surprise. He’ll have to find his groove alongside new additions to the Clippers in Patrick Beverley and Lou Williams.

If the rookie plays a major role in getting the Clippers to the playoffs, the payoff for getting him on draft night will have already come. So many teams, including the Lakers, chose to pass on him with their late draft picks.

Now that we know what he’s capable of, it’ll be interesting to see how that talent plays out. Maybe it was just an off night for the Lakers and he took advantage of it. But in all likelihood, Thornwell is the real deal and a true steal for Los Angeles.

Additionally, this will make the battle for Los Angeles much more watchable in the regular season. Usually when these teams meet, the Clippers have had the dominant edge in talent over the last few seasons.

With the changes the Lakers have made, this might be the last year without a true superstar for the purple and gold. That’s not to forget the fact that their young core is going to be incredibly good and deserve respect from the rest of the league.

Next: Predicting The First Four Years Under Lonzo Ball

However you feel about the Clippers, you can’t knock a rookie impressing everyone out of the gate with a dominant performance in Summer League.

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