Allow me to create a backstory to make this what-if seem more plausible.
In 1981, instead of appointing Clarence Thomas to the Department of Education and subsequently, the Equal Employment Opportunity Comission, Ronald Reagan appoints him as an Assistant Attorney General.
In 1983, instead of nominating Ken Starr to the United States Court of Appeals of the D.C Circuit, Reagan nominates Thomas instead. This would allow Thomas to gather a couple of years of judicial experience.
In 1987, instead of nominating Douglas Ginsburg to the Supreme Court after the failed nomination of Robert Bork, Reagan nominates Clarence Thomas. At 39, he would be one of the youngest Justices in history. He is confirmed without too much incident.
Basically, Thomas appointment to the Justice Department instead of the Education Department would butterfly away the Anita Hill controversy. Also, Thomas would be succeeding Lewis Powell, considered to be a conservative with a moderate streak, instead of a strong liberal civil rights icon in Thurgood Marshall.
If Thomas is confirmed in 1987 instead of Anthony Kennedy, how might key decisions have gone a different way in the coming years and how would it have affected the Court in the coming years?