Marcus Thornton / Darren Collison: Rookie Backcourt Of The Year

November 28th, 2009 by Paul Augustin Leave a reply »
Let's go back to the 2009 NBA Draft. The first backcourt player taken was shooting guard James Harden, drafted third overall by the Thunder.

The next pick was Memphis combo guard Tyreke Evans who went to the Kings. Immediately after Evans, the Timberwolves selected Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio. 

And so on and so on.

Sixteen picks and eleven guards later, the New Orleans Hornets selected point guard Darren Collison out of UCLA.  With all-world point guard Chris Paul on the roster, many fans and analysts alike scratched their heads at the pick.

Collison was too thin to hold up to the pounding of the NBA.  He had an unorthodox outside shot.  He was never going to amount to much more than a second or third-string point guard.

He was a wasted pick.

Twenty-one picks and six more guards later, the Miami Heat drafted shooting guard Marcus Thornton out of LSU. DraftExpress.com was hot and cold on Thornton. 

In their last edition on shooting guards, DraftExpress Director of Operations Matt Kamalsky writes about Thornton  "... a capable scorer who should benefit from playing a smaller role at the next level."  Read th ...

Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
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