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Where Are They Now: Sindarius Thornwell
You know the NBA Offseason is in its dog days when I re-start the Where Are They Now articles, a very long running series dating back to Clips Nation documenting the career of former Clippers’ players. With Chris Paul returning to the Clippers, I wanted to take a look back at the days immediately after he left the team for the first time, and so I will be reviewing some of the Clippers from the fun 2017-2018 season. First up: Sindarius Thornwell.
Clippers Career
Sindarius Thornwell was taken with the 48th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, continuing the Clippers’ tradition of taking older players in the draft (Reggie Bullock, CJ Wilcox, Brice Johnson, etc.). Expectations are always pretty low for players taken so low, but Sindarius immediately raised them through a strong Summer League. He then went on to play a real role for the 2018 Clippers, playing in 73 games (starting 16) for a team that went 42-40. A limited (to be kind) offensive player, Sindarius played minutes because of his defense and energy, which was the M.O. of that squad.
Unfortunately for Sindarius (but fortunately for the Clippers), the selection of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the 2018 Draft and the improved health of Pat Beverley (he barely played in 2017) pushed Thornwell way down the depth chart. Sindarius still played in 64 games for the incredibly fun 48-34 squad, but averaged just 4.9 minutes per game, with most of his playing time coming in garbage time or for very limited defensive situations.
Then, in the summer of 2019, the Clippers brought in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, and everything changed (Avatar the Last Airbender reference for those who know). For a team trying to compete for a championship, there was no longer room on the end of the bench for a defensive-first prospect already in his mid-20s, and so Sindarius was waived in early July.
2020 Season
Sindarius signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers to a training camp deal, but was waived before the season started. He thus spent most of his time in the G-League, logging 40 games for the Rio Grand Valley Vipers. Unfortunately, it was not a great season for Sindarius, who averaged just 9.2 points on 42.6% shooting from the field and 28.9% from deep. His inability to do much on the offensive end (though he did average 4.6 assists per game) did not bode well for his NBA prospects.
Sindarius was in fact signed at the very end of the season by the New Orleans Pelicans in a COVID-season only “substitution deal” but played just two inconsequential games for them.
2021 Season
The Pelicans must have liked what they saw from Sindarius, however, because they re-signed him in December of 2020 before the start of the season (that season started just before Christmas). The Pelicans waived him before the trade deadline before re-signing him to multiple 10-day deals. In total, Sindarius played 14 games for the Pels, averaging just 1.2 points in 5.2 minutes per game as a primarily defensive-oriented player.
When Sindarius’ second 10-day deal expired, the Orlando Magic stepped in and signed him to a two-way deal. Sindarius actually got more playing time than he had in years, averaging 20.6 minutes per game in his seven appearances for Orlando. Sadly, he was dreadful on offense, shooting 32% from the field and 28.6% from three.
Sindarius’ lack of offense game was his downfall, and those games for the Magic were the last time he appeared in the NBA.
2022 Season
After sticking in the NBA for parts of four seasons (legitimately a nice career for the 48th pick), Sindarius finally went overseas, signing with German side Ratiopharm Ulm for the 2022 season. Ulm has been one of the better teams in the German League (BBL) in recent years, and competed in Eurocup that season. Across 42 games played, Sindarius started 39 and averaged 29.9 minutes per game, playing a key role. He also shot well for the first time in his professional career, averaging 44.4% from the field, 39% from three (on 3.9 attempts!), and 81.8% from the line (3.7 attempts) and scoring 12.5 points per game. A much-needed bounce back season for Sindarius.
2023 Season
Sindarius parlayed his excellent 2022 campaign into a deal with Frutti Extra Bursapor of the Turkish Basketball League (BSL), one of the best domestic leagues outside of the US. Oddly, Thornwell played just four games for Bursapor, and then did not play at all the rest of the year. I’m not sure what happened here, whether it was an injury, suspension, personal reasons, or something else, but it was a lost season for Sindarius.
2024 Season
The next time Sindarius played basketball it was for Avtodor Saratov of the Russian Basketball League (VTB). He suited up for 39 games, starting 34, and had a similar (if somewhat worse) season to his 2022 campaign for Ulm. Sindarius shot pretty well, collected a good number of rebounds, and scoring in the low double-digits. At this point, this seems like what Sindarius is at this level
2025 Season
In August 2024, Sindarius signed with Zastal Zielona Gora of the Polish Basketball League. He played and started in 17 games for Zastal before leaving the team in February 2025 and moving to the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Like so many former NBA players, China beckoned. Sindarius played 12 games for the Flying Tigers, but started just three, and played in fewer minutes per game than he had since leaving the NBA.
Future
Now 30 years old (turning 31 in November), Sindarius Thornwell seems well past the point of an NBA return. He’s clearly playing at a level where he can continue finding jobs overseas, but at this point I’d also imagine he’s not close to returning to a true top-level league (Euroleague) or team. Ultimately, while Sindarius’ defense at his size made him a useful bit player in the NBA, his lack of development as an offensive player has held him back from a steady tenure with any team. Hopefully he can keep playing another few years and reach the decade mark of his professional career.