Los Angeles Clippers forward Al Thornton was selected to the NBA's all-rookie first team, the league has announced.
The 6-foot-8 forward from Florida State was the 14th pick in the NBA draft last summer, but he out-performed many players picked earlier, and he finished the season averaging 12.7 points and 4.5 rebounds a game.
Thornton , 24, was one of the few bright spots in the Clippers' injury-plagued 23-59 season and he showed flashes of brilliance on offense. He scored a season-high 39 points in a March game and averaged 17 points per game after the All-Star break.
Atlanta forward Al Horford received 29 votes for the first team, followed by Seattle 's Kevin Durant, the No. 2 pick in last year's draft, with 28 votes. Durant led all rookies in scoring with 20.3 points a game, while Horford led the rookie class with 9.7 rebounds a game. Seattle 's Jeff Green and Houston 's Luis Scola filled out the first team.
The 30 NBA head coaches made the selections and could not vote for anybody on their own team.
The all-rookie second team: Jamario Moon, Toronto , Juan Carlos Navarro, Memphis ; Thaddeus Young, Philadelphia ; Rodney Stuckey, Detroit ; and Carl Landry, Houston .
