Thornton showing he’s more than just a shooter
LOS ANGELES — With just a little encouragement — or none at all — Marcus Thornton will put up his shot. That is his game. It is also his reputation.
It is not, he said and the Rockets have discovered, everything he can bring.
The shot gets him on the floor. That much has not changed. But as a surprise starter and an X-factor as the Rockets went from an 0-3 start to a four-game winning streak, Thornton has shown more than an itchy trigger finger.
“He’s a very good passer,” coach Kevin McHale said. “He’s a good on-ball defender. All of our guys have to get better as off-ball defenders. He’s kind of one of those old-time (types). He’s a baller.”
Through seven games, and especially in the Rockets’ four-game winning streak to turn things around, they have turned to a surprising Big Three: James Harden, Dwight Howard and Thornton.
Thornton is third on the Rockets in scoring, averaging 16.6 points and making a team-best 40.5 percent of his 3s. But he helped finish off Saturday’s 109-105 victory over the Clippers with a pair of plays that did not involve his putting up a shot.
On one end of the floor, Thornton saw the Clippers’ defense rushing to close out on him, drove to the paint, and waited until the last moment to lob a pass to
Howard for a slam, a sevenpoint lead and the Rockets’ final field goal of the game.
“If you break the defense down, you have lob targets like Dwight back there waiting to see the lob,” Thornton said. “You can throw it anywhere. It makes it easy on you.”
Thornton had three assists against the Clippers and is averaging 2.2 per game. As with his scoring, that places him third on the Rockets.
“Marcus can also dribble drive,” McHale said. “He’ll attack, and he’s a very good passer late. That’s one thing I found out about Marcus. He’ll get on top of the rim and find people late. Marcus made some nice ones.”
On the other end, with the Rockets clinging to a two-point lead in the last half-minute, Thornton rotated to defend Blake Griffin to help force a missed layup.
“The last couple plays, Coach said just switch everything, just try to stand him up and make it tough on him,” Thornton said. “I’m a pretty strong guy, so I believed in myself.”
That sort of confidence led Thornton to bet on himself when he signed with the Rockets. Knowing a place in the rotation was not assured but believing his talents would line up well with the Rockets’ system, he signed with them in part for the chance to demonstrate his value for a season before returning to free agency next summer.
His first two weeks of the season vividly demonstrated the risk and potential reward of the decision. He did not play at all in the season’s first two games before — with Terrence Jones out — moving into the starting lineup in the fourth game. He made five 3-pointers in the first half that night against the Thunder, missing only on a halfcourt heave at the buzzer.
He has kept shooting since, with the Rockets’ spacing and ball movement improving enough for Thornton to often find himself left open. And the Rockets are 4-0 with him as a starter.
“It’s been great,” Thornton said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been in an offense with coaches that have the ultimate confidence in you. When a coach has the ultimate confidence in you, it’s easy to go out there and play, let the chips fall where they may. If you mess up, get back, get it again. It’s great when you have guys that share the ball, too. It’s fun.
“When you have Dwight and James, I’m standing out there getting open shots. Sometimes it’s crazy. I’m like, ‘Damn, I’m so wide open.’ It’s on me to step up and knock the shot down.”
That remains what he does best and the talent that moved him into the starting lineup when the Rockets, with few power forward options, chose to add Thornton’s shooting instead. He has shown that is not all he can bring.
“I always had a lot more to show,” Thornton said. “Just now, I’ve been in the right position to show it.”