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Suns Player Reviews: Marcus Thornton

With the 2014-15 campaign written and closed, Suns.com’s Matt Petersen takes an end-season look at each member of Phoenix’s roster heading into the summer. Key points include what went well, what could be improved, and a notable advanced stat for each player are included, as is their offseason status with the team.

Marcus Thornton

Bio: 6-4, 205 pounds, 27 years old

History with Suns: Traded to Phoenix from Boston on Feb 19, 2015

2014-15 stats: 15.0 mpg, 7.9 ppg, 37.8 3FG%

Offseason status: Unrestricted Free Agent

What Went Well

Thornton has always been a shot-maker first, and he proved he could still light it up with some point-per-minute outings this season. Unfortunately his position is a deep one on the Suns' roster, which squeezed his minutes even more than they were in Boston.

Thornton has been a double-figure scorer most of his career, and there will be a market for that, be it with the Suns (who have earmarked outside shooting on their offseason shopping list) or elsewhere.

What Could Be Improved

Fluctuating roles have cost Thornton some of the efficiency on his shot in recent years. After shooting above 42 percent his first four seasons in the league, he dropped to 39.4 percent in 2013-14 before marginally recovering (40.6%) this season.

Again, fit is a big part of the equation. If Thornton signs with a team intent on carving out a rotation spot as a sniper off the bench, he could regain his status as one of the more lethal scorers in the game.

Notable Advanced Stat: Thornton is one of the better fast-break, three-point shooters in the game. The 27-year-old veteran connected on 48.6 percent of his three-pointers taken with 22-18 seconds left on the shot clock.

Quotable: “I just used this time as a learning experience, getting a better feel for the game. Just trying to get back healthy [from a sprained ankle] was my main focus.” – Marcus Thornton