I thought Thornton is terrible , is is small, can't hit a shot ......he is below scrub
I don't see that at all.
To me he looks like a pro, even if he didn't make shots or get on the box sheet much.
I think his athleticism, defensive effort, ball handling, passing and ability to get his shot off were all impressive.
Not much has been published about Thornton, but he put up very nice offensive numbers in college. He averaged 17 / 2.5 / 2.5 his 4 year college career while shooting 43% / 40% / 79%. In his final year he averaged 20 / 3 / 3 and shot 45% / 40% / 83% - kid is probably the best shooter on this summer league roster.
He didn't make many shots today, but created shot opportunities and most of them were good looks that just didn't go down. I'm confident that he will find that his shot.
I actually hope Danny gives him a chance. He's an underdog at #45 but he is an elite athlete (his pre-draft vertical, sprint and lane agility scores were all off the charts) who can shoot, handle the ball and pass. According to comments from those around him, he is also a solid defendive player and an incredibly hard worker - huge motor.
Main knocks against him have been that his lack of physical strength (he's only 6'3" and 177 pounds) sometimes counts against him when hurts him when fighting through screens, getting posted up, etc. Other criticism is that his shooting form is inconsistent, although he has been a consistently excellent shooter his entire college career regardless.
I think he has potential to be a big surprise. Not saying he's going to be a star, but If he adds some strength to his frame (gets up to maybe 190 pounds or so) I can't see why he couldn't be a good backup combo guard at the NBA level.
He certainly has the physical tools with his athleticism and 6'7" wingspan.