Marcus Thornton Could Be a Gilbert Arenas

I've been REALLY busy with work this entire week, but took a lil time out to browse some NBA Mock draft boards this morning. I ran across Marcus Thornton's name on the board, and immediately started to wonder what type of NBA player he'd be. The mock draft I happened to be looking at was property of NBADraft.net, and I was a little shocked at the fact that they had Thornton going as late as 2nd round, number 36 to Detroit. As the reigning SEC Player of the Year, and a proven energy guy and scorer (seemed like this guy scored 30 anytime he wanted last season!), I still feel like Thornton may be under the radar a little. I see Thornton as a mid to late first round pick, and personally see him as a Gilbert Arenas type of player. Think about it:

• Gilbert Arenas: 6ft. 3 inches, 215 pounds
• Marcus Thornton: 6ft. 4 inches, 210 pounds
• Gilbert Arenas: Lacked shooting guard size, and "awareness and ball handling point guard skills"
• Marcus Thornton: Lacks shooting guard size, and is said to be a good fit "as long as he doesn't have to put the ball on the floor a great deal in half court settings to create an offense"
• Gilbert Arenas: Good but questionable shooter
• Marcus Thronton: Good but questionable shooter at times
• Gilbert Arenas: Highly skilled but passed on in 1st round, drafted 31st overall
• Marcus Thornton: Highly skilled but thought to be late first to early second round pick (from 28th to 36th overall)

I know that brief comparison doesn't calculate what type of player Marcus Thornton will be, but it does give you a glance at these players' comparisons, hopefully showing you why I feel this way. Thornton (just like Arenas) should be an exciting, non traditional point guard who can flat out score! Yea, he may get a little carried away at times and take a few shots that are questionable, but you'll live with that in order to enjoy all the other things he does to keep the fans out of their seats. I hate to put a damper on the beggining of his career, but I see him (similar to Arenas) getting drafted unfairly, and proving a lot of people wrong in his first and second season (as Arenas did). His first stop will probably not be his last, as he should be one of the most sought-after free agents that summer, and land somewhere where he'll absolutely flourish (exactly as Arenas did). I'm no prophet, psychic, nor am I Nastradaumus. But I've got a good feeling about his guy. Let's just hope the injury bug vacates his journey; God knows it hasn't been easy on my man Arenas. Barely takes a genius to know that!