Monday, March 4, 2013
Key to Thornton's recent hot streak
By Joe Kaiser
Marcus Thornton says one big factor has contributed to his excellent play since the All-Star break.
"It's just me getting consistent minutes," Thornton tells Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. "Me being able to stay out there and playing through things instead of when things go wrong have to be took out ... I guess it's just a trust factor now. I've guess I've gained a bit more trust and I'm just trying to keep it going."
This has been an ongoing issue not just for Thornton but for guys like Jimmer Fredette and, prior to the trade, Thomas Robinson, in Sacramento this season -- too many players who deserve a chance for minutes in the rotation. This has been especially true in the backcourt, where Thornton and Fredette have had to battle guys like Isaiah Thomas, Tyreke Evans and the recently released Aaron Brooks for minutes.
What will be interesting to see is how things play out for the rest of the season. Though Brooks is no longer around, the newly acquired Toney Douglas will demand a look, so Smart faces the same problem he had before. Just speculating here, but likely reality is that unless Thornton continues to shoot and score well, he'll probably start to lose his minutes to the others yet again.
