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No playing time for Collison and Thornton: the exception or the norm?
The Hornets have played five games so far this season, amounting to 265 player minutes. Darren Collison, the Hornets’ 2009 first-round draft pick, has played just three of those minutes. Marcus Thornton, the team’s 2009 second-round pick, has been inactive for every game.
Many fans are upset with head coach Byron Scott for not giving the rookies a chance. But is Byron doing anything different from his peers in the NBA? Let’s look at some comparable rookies and the playing time they’ve received so far. We’ll take the five players drafted before and the five players drafted after both Collison and Thornton.
Collison Comparison
| Pick | Player | Position | Team | Minutes (Tot) | Minutes (Avg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | James Johnson | PF | CHI | 11 | 11.0 |
| 17 | Jrue Holiday | PG | PHI | 19 | 09.5 |
| 18 | Ty Lawson | PG | DEN | 106 | 21.2 |
| 19 | Jeff Teague | PG | ATL | 45 | 11.3 |
| 20 | Eric Maynor | PG | UTA | 13 | 04.3 |
| 21 | Darren Collison | PG | NOH | 3 | 03.0 |
| 22 | Victor Claver | SF | POR | n/a | n/a |
| 23 | Omri Casspi | SF | SAC | 99 | 19.8 |
| 24 | B.J. Mullens | C | OKC | 0 | 00.0 |
| 25 | Rodrigue Beaubois | PG | DAL | 16 | 08.0 |
| 26 | Taj Gibson | PF | CHI | 76 | 19.0 |
Notes:
- Beaubois and Gibson have both started one game this season.
- Victor Claver is playing overseas.
Thornton Comparison
| Pick | Player | Position | Team | Minutes (Tot) | Minutes (Avg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | Jon Brockman | PF | SAC | 43 | 08.6 |
| 39 | Jonas Jerebko | SF | DET | 57 | 19.0 |
| 40 | Derrick Brown | PF | CHA | 28 | 09.3 |
| 41 | Jodie Meeks | SG | MIL | 2 | 02.0 |
| 42 | Patrick Beverley | PG | MIA | n/a | n/a |
| 43 | Marcus Thornton | SG | NOH | 0 | 00.0 |
| 44 | Chase Budinger | SG | HOU | 64 | 16.0 |
| 45 | Nick Calathes | PG | MIN | n/a | n/a |
| 46 | Daniel Green | SF | CLE | 0 | 00.0 |
| 47 | Henk Norel | PF | DAL | n/a | n/a |
| 48 | Taylor Griffin | SF | PHO | 8 | 08.0 |
Notes:
- Jonas Jerebko has started two games this season.
- Patrick Beverley, Nick Calathes and Henk Norel are all playing overseas.
Disclaimer
Keep in mind that each team’s situation is different. Some rookies might be seeing little PT because they have solid players ahead of them in the rotation, while others have been getting big minutes because they have little competition for the job.
Also, the minutes above are through games played November 4th. Some teams had played four games, some teams had played five.
Looking forward
This from NOLA.com today:
Rookie shooting guard Marcus Thornton was put on the inactive list Wednesday for the fifth consecutive game, but he may activated for Friday night’s game against Toronto Raptors or for Sunday’s road game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
And Scott said first-round draft pick Darren Collison could get more time on the floor after playing only three minutes in the regular-season opener against the San Antonio Spurs.
“I think both of those guys are kind of biting at the bits right now to get out there and play, ” Scott said. “Hopefully next week, they will get the opportunity.”