NCAA Basketball: Analyzing graduate transfer Derryck Thorton’s options

Derryck Thornton is the latest NCAA Basketball player to enter the transfer portal. Which teams are best suited to land the grad transfer?

We’re around 45 days into the NCAA Basketball offseason, with a number of surprises occurring. The latest came from USC, with former five-star recruit Derryck Thornton electing to enter the transfer portal. He spent two seasons with the Trojans, starting 27 games this past season.

Thornton was a prized recruit in the 2015 recruiting class, choosing the Duke Blue Devils. Like many non-“one and done” freshmen, he had his ups and downs, going in and out of the starting lineup. He showed signs of great scoring capability early on but his contributions were limited as a role player towards the end of 2016. Thornton elected to transfer in the offseason, going back home with the Trojans.

After sitting out a season, the 6’3 guard was viewed as a key player. But the emergence of senior point guard Jordan McLaughlin and his Pac-12 leading 7.8 apg got in the way. Thornton only played 14 mpg as a reserve for the 2017-18 season. This past year was better for him production-wise, averaging 7.7 ppg and 4.3 apg on 38% shooting from the field. But the team suffered for a number of reasons, finishing under .500 overall.

With several transfers and a 6th-ranked recruiting class coming in, Thornton decided to play for a third college team in his final season of eligibility. Even though he hasn’t lived up to his recruiting ranking, the point guard is still a solid passer and defender with experience to boot. And with several teams still needing ball handlers, he’ll be in high demand.

With a reported set of final teams vying for Thornton’s services, here’s a look at the pros and cons of each situation, along with a prediction at the end. Where will he end up?