Bruce Thornton’s poise was on display in his debut with the Rockets in the NBA Summer League.
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LAS VEGAS — By nature, Summer League offenses are sloppy.
A combination of younger, inexperienced players trying hard to make an impression and each of them being allowed 10 fouls leads to physical, disjointed play. The Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets both took full advantage of the changed rule in their Friday matchup at Cox Pavilion, pressing full-court and pestering ballhandlers.
But while Denver committed 24 turnovers in a 40-minute game, the physicality seemed to have little effect on rookie point guard Bruce Thornton. The Rockets’ 2026 second-round pick showed the ball security and shot-making abilities that enticed Houston to trade up and take him with the 31st pick. Thornton finished with just one turnover and led all players with 35 minutes and 27 points.
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“That definitely helps to my advantage,” he said of the physical play. “I put a lot of effort in the weight room and that’s just how I’m naturally built. So when guys try to be physical, it doesn’t bother me at all.”
Coach Will Dunn looked at the box score after the game, saw how much he played Thornton and said: “Man, I couldn’t take him off the floor.”
“He was amazing. … He was a game-high plus-20 and I think he earned that,” Dunn said.
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Dunn said Thornton wasn’t afraid of the moment — he wanted the ball late. The Nuggets, despite all their pressure, couldn’t speed him up.
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“There were times where he just said, ‘OK, you want to pressure me? I’m going to beat you the other way,’” Dunn said.
And of course, Thornton — the all-time leading scorer in Ohio State history — put the ball in the basket. He shot 7-for-18 from the field, 3-for-8 from three and made all seven of his free throws. He notched three steals, assists and rebounds in his professional debut. Summer League is just Summer League but Thornton always seemed to play at his speed, his first bucket coming on a turnaround fadeaway mid-range jumpshot.
“I know my grandma probably crying… that’s my girl. I know she back home watching, I know she’s very proud of me and my guys back home, all my friends that I grew up with, I know they’re very excited for me,” he said. “I’m just glad I can put on the show. I’m just a kid from Fairburn, Georgia.”
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Quadir Copeland brings intensity
On the first day of practice, Dunn met with undrafted rookie Quadir Copeland.
The coach told Copeland, whom the Rockets recently signed to a two-way contract, that a lot of players on the Summer League played hard — but that Copeland was the only one in the main group with an edge to him.
“He brings that juice, talking trash, getting in scraps, altercations out there,” Dunn said. “… We like people that have that little toughness, that kind of toe the line with that edginess.”
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But Dunn implored Copeland to stay on the right side of that line and to keep his energy up and positive amid in-game swings. It worked well Friday, as Copeland routinely talked trash and finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals.