Why Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton Should Have an NBA Future

The odds are stacked against Ohio State senior Bruce Thornton. At 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, Thornton doesn’t look like most NBA point guards.

Heck, he doesn’t look like most non-NBA point guards either.

Thornton more closely resembles an oversized Buckeye defensive back or wide receiver than floor general. His height is at least a couple of inches shorter than most point guards at the next level and his stocky build is equally as unique.

Couple that with the fact that he’s not a high-flyer in the Baron Davis (who has similar measurables) mold and it’s easy to see why four months prior to the NBA Draft, Thornton is already being dismissed as a fit for NBA teams.

That doesn’t mean those teams or their perceived hesitations are right.

Thornton can play.

He’s increased his scoring average by at least two points per game in each of the last three seasons. He’s never shot less than 42.7% from the field in his four years in Columbus, and the last two seasons have seen Thornton connect on better than 50% of his shot attempts.

For his Buckeye career, Thornton shoots 83% from the line and 38% from deep.

HE. CAN. SCORE.

Consistently and efficiently.

That is exactly what NBA teams seek in this wide-open, three-point heavy era of NBA basketball.

Thornton is generally projected as a second round NBA Draft pick

The knock on Thornton — as it relates to his size — is on the defensive end. Teams will suggest that he’ll be exploited defensively in the pick-and-roll game and, potentially, in the post.

But that doesn’t make Thornton unplayable in the NBA. Plenty of smallish guards make an impact more on one side of the floor than the other. Some examples would be the Clippers’ Darius Garland (6-foot-1), Indiana’s T.J. McConnell (6-foot-1) and New York’s Jalen Brunson (6-foot-2), a 2025–26 All-Star.

If you do one or two things well, which Thornton does, a team can often overcome some of the player’s weaknesses. Not to mention, when’s the last time you saw any NBA player, especially a guard, post up?

It’s a different game.

There are also examples of teams worrying less about their smallish guard defensively if they have rim protectors to cover any defensive mismatches up top. Cleveland’s Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen often clean up messes partially created by their guards. Mitchell Robinson does the same for the Knicks when Brunson’s man out-sizes the point guard.

During his nearly four full seasons in Columbus, Thornton’s averaged a steal per game. He has quicker feet than he’s given credit for and his effort is never lacking. Thornton’s far from a zero defensively.

Add in the fact that he’s averaged just a tick under four assists per game and only one turnover throughout his career, and the question should no longer be if Thornton will be drafted, but when he’ll be selected.

Come June, teams will inevitably get caught up in Thornton’s size. If they simply watch him play, they’ll see that the point guard measures up.