The Houston Rockets kicked off the second day of the NBA draft Wednesday by trading up to take Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton at No. 31 overall.

Houston entered the day with the 39th and 53rd picks. It traded both along with a 2029 Sacramento Kings second-round pick to the New York Knicks in exchange for the first pick of the second round, used on Thornton, and No. 55, a person with knowledge of the deal confirmed. ESPN first reported the trade.

Thornton, 22, spent four years with the Buckeyes and finished his career as the program’s all-time scoring leader. The point guard stands just 6-foot without shoes — which could lead to issues on defense — but is stout at 223 pounds. He averaged 19.9 points, 5.1 assists and 3.9 assists for Ohio State last season, shooting 55.4% from the field and 40.0 from three.

“I’m just trying to be a winner… I know it’s going to be tough but I’m built for the moment,” he told Space City Home Network’s Rockets sideline reporter Vanessa Richardson on ESPN’s draft telecast.

Thornton uses his strong frame to get into the paint. He is a decent finisher at the rim but does most of his damage right outside the restricted area with runners and floaters, per The Ringer’s J. Kyle Mann’s draft guide.

Thornton is also a strong pull-up shooter from midrange and 3-point range, per The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie. He got better playing off the ball later in his college career, per Mann. The guard will face questions on defense because of his size but is a competitor — he was the only four-time captain in Ohio State men’s basketball history and was a three-time All-Big Ten selection.

Point guard play was a need for the Rockets. Fred VanVleet’s injury last season allowed Reed Sheppard and Amen Thompson get experience but both young players were inconsistent. VanVleet still needs to make a decision on his $25 million player option for next season. Reserve guard Aaron Holiday is an unrestricted free agent. Thornton will be an older rookie — Sheppard is actually still younger than him despite entering his third NBA season — so the Ohio State product could contribute earlier in his career than the average second-round pick.