Often, when NBA teams do their background research on draft prospects, they emerge with a wide array of feedback. One former coach might love a player. Another might only offer tepid support. A third may strike notes of caution.
That wasn’t the case when the Houston Rockets asked around about Bruce Thornton. The Ohio State guard earned overwhelmingly positive reviews from just about everyone the Rockets reached out to. Thornton was the only four-time captain in Buckeyes men’s basketball history — the fact he earned the honor as a freshman impressed the Rockets. The opening paragraph on Thornton’s player page on the Ohio State website ends with another bit of praise.
“An all-time great dude,” it calls him.
But character alone did not make Thornton the 31st pick in the draft, Houston’s lone selection and a player it traded up to take. The Rockets ranked him higher than 31st on their draft board, valuing the 22-year-old guard’s shot-making ability and burly frame.
Thornton finished his four-year career with the Buckeyes as the leading scorer in program history and averaged 19.9 points per game last season.
The Rockets liked his ability to score efficiently from all over the court. Measured against other NBA guards’ last season in college, Thornton was in the 98th percentile in effective field goal percentage as a senior. He was in the 98th percentile in rim shooting percentage, 100th percentile in mid-range shooting percentage and the 78th percentile in 3-point percentage, per DraftBallr. The Rockets believe his shooting abilities will help him flourish on and off the ball.
Thornton’s shot-making came in a variety of ways — runners, floaters, pull-up jumpshots and more. His strength helped. Thornton weighed in at 223 pounds at the draft combine and used that heft to create space and take advantage.
The Rockets also liked that despite his scoring prowess, Thornton often made the right play and seemed to be a good passer. He averaged four assists per game over his career and was in the 93rd percentile in assist to turnover ratio last season, per DraftBallr.
Perhaps the biggest question Thornton faces at the next level is his height. He measured in at 6-foot without shoes at the combine. He has been able to overcome that challenge so far in his career, but the NBA is a different beast. His height is a potential impediment on defense, limiting his ability to switch onto different matchups. The Rockets do believe his strength will help keep him from being overpowered on that end of the floor.
Thornton is an older prospect — a few months older than Houston guard Reed Sheppard, who is about to enter his third season — and enters with a seemingly NBA-ready frame. He is already the heaviest guard on the Rockets roster and weighs eight pounds more than the listed weight for 6-foot-8 forward Tari Eason. That could help the guard adjust to the NBA because there is less of an age and physicality gap for him to close.
Of course, that isn’t a guarantee of immediate contributions, especially on a Rockets team that has moved out of the developmental phase and has minimal room to let players learn through in-game mistakes. But there is almost never a guarantee in the draft — that’s true at the first pick and especially so at the 31st.
The Rockets and other teams are making educated guesses on prospects, hoping talent and character coalesce to turn a prospect into a contributor. Houston threw its dart at Thornton. We’ll see where it ultimately lands.