{"id":349315,"date":"2026-06-25T01:51:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T01:51:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/349315\/"},"modified":"2026-06-25T01:51:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T01:51:22","slug":"houston-rockets-trade-to-no-31-draft-bruce-thornton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/349315\/","title":{"rendered":"Houston Rockets Trade to No. 31, Draft Bruce Thornton"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Rockets made the biggest move on Day 2 of the NBA Draft, trading multiple second round picks to move up to No. 31 and get their guy.<\/p>\n

After a season of lackluster point guard play due to injuries and a lack of overall development, Houston was able to grab Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton with the first pick of the second round.<\/p>\n

The best player available for many, Thornton should be able to add immediate handling and scoring juice to Houston.<\/p>\n

Below is his scouting report and how he could fit with the Rockets:<\/p>\n

Bruce Thornton Scouting ReportOverview:<\/p>\n

Bruce Thornton offers a strength-based point guard who will be able to handle the ball, play off the ball with solid shooting, and win in the margins.<\/p>\n

College: Ohio State<\/p>\n

Class: Senior<\/p>\n

Position: Guard<\/p>\n

Height: 6-0<\/p>\n

Wingspan: 6-6<\/p>\n

Strengths:<\/p>\n

Scoring Volume and Efficiency<\/p>\n

Thornton led Ohio State in points per game with 19.9 last season, getting his at all three levels. He\u2019s been a longtime bucket-getter dating back to his freshman season.<\/p>\n

Pick-and-Roll Play<\/p>\n

With a serviceable handle, Thornton will be capable of running the pick and roll with any number of partners.<\/p>\n

Finishing and Touch<\/p>\n

Despite a lack of verticality, Thornton shot 75% at the rim this season.<\/p>\n

Positional Rebounding and Passing<\/p>\n

Thornton is a great passer and rebounder for his size, coming down with 5.1 boards and posting a great assist to turnover ratio of 3.0<\/p>\n

Areas of Improvement<\/p>\n

Defensive Ceiling<\/p>\n

Thornton is a scrappy defender, but doesn\u2019t offer much in the ways of pure ball-stopping.<\/p>\n

Role: Spark-Plug Bench Guard<\/p>\n

Impact: Rotation<\/p>\n

Swing Skill: Defense<\/p>\n

Fit with Houston Rockets<\/p>\n

Thornton projects perfectly as a Rockets. Fred VanVleet is set to return and offer his veteran ways for the Rockets next season, but the team will still be in need of secondary handling in the back-end rotation. With plenty of experience under his belt, Thornton could see minutes as early as Year 1.<\/p>\n

He is a bonafide scorer no matter how you slice it, and should be able to score at the rim, in the mid-range and from three. He won’t turn the ball over a massive amount, and should be able to play off other creators at 40% shooting from beyond the arc.<\/p>\n

Thornton is a home-run pick for Houston, as shown by their aggressiveness in trading up to get him.<\/p>\n

The Rockets still have remaining second-round picks, though it remains to be seen if they’ll select them.<\/p>\n

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