The Rockets didn’t have a first round pick in the 2026 draft, so it might be easy to overlook a pick in the second round considering their roster is already stocked full of veterans. And before this year’s NBA Finals, you might be tempted to completely ignore a relatively small point guard taken after the first round in any draft.
Of course, that would mean excluding NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson from your thinking.
No one is suggesting a six-foot, 23-year-old senior from Ohio State is going to come in and take over a team like the Rockets. But Bruce Thornton certainly has some of the qualities you would like in a lead guard.
Thornton played four years for the Buckeyes, a team captain every season. He shot better than 41 percent from three and is the all-time leading scorer in Ohio State history. He also has a career assist-to-turnover ratio over three, which is outstanding and is widely considered a strong, vocal team leader.
Despite his size, Thornton is 223 pounds with a six-foot-five-inch wingspan. He can score at all three levels and has excellent court vision. He is the first D-I player to total at least 2,000 points and 500 assists while recording fewer than 200 turnovers since the NCAA began officially tracking turnovers in 1992.
Think this year’s Kyle Lowry in terms of comparisons.
If you think adding a tough, high-scoring, low-turnover guard with leadership potential to this Rockets roster is a bad thing, you may not have been watching the Rockets lately. He is likely to replace the reliable but aging Aaron Holiday on the roster.
To acquire Thornton with the 31st pick, the Rockets had to make a pair of deals and ultimately sacrifice three first round picks, but they clearly feel it is worth it.
