LOS ANGELES
Al Thornton isn’t one of those young phenoms who typically fill the first round of the NBA draft every year, although his braces make him look a lot younger than 23.
Rather, Thornton played four years at Florida State, and believes he enters the professional ranks ready to make an immediate impact. The Los Angeles Clippers, who made him the 14th overall pick in last week’s draft, feel the same way.
“I feel like I can play against anybody,” Thornton said Thursday upon being introduced to the local media at a Staples Center news conference. “That wasn’t the case three years ago. I feel like I was a work in progress I had to be a work in progress.
“I had a desire to try and get better and better each year. I think I got the job done. I had a great coaching staff. They molded me into a player from an athlete. I’m very versatile I can do a lot of things.”
The 6-foot-8, 220-pounder was a reserve during his freshman year and most of his sophomore season before becoming a starter. He averaged a team-leading 16.1 points and 6.9 rebounds as a junior, and an Atlantic Coast Conference-leading 19.7 points and 7.2 rebounds as a senior.
“I thought about coming out last year,” he said. “I talked it over with my family, I talked it over with my coaches. There were a couple things I needed to work on.”
