What I'm seeing is that the offense seems to flow better with Thornton in the game, perhaps because Matt Jones isn't trying to create, and he, Allen, and Kennard are free to move without the ball. Doesn't mean Thornton is doing that well, but he frees others to do what they do best.
I also like Derryck's on the ball pressure, but he picked up some cheap fouls today. Also, off the ball defense still needs some work.