Houston Rockets Trade to No. 31, Draft Bruce Thornton

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.

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.

The best player available for many, Thornton should be able to add immediate handling and scoring juice to Houston.

Below is his scouting report and how he could fit with the Rockets:

Bruce Thornton Scouting Report

Overview:

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.

College: Ohio State

Class: Senior

Position: Guard

Height: 6-0

Wingspan: 6-6

Strengths:

Scoring Volume and Efficiency

Thornton led Ohio State in points per game with 19.9 last season, getting his at all three levels. He’s been a longtime bucket-getter dating back to his freshman season.

Pick-and-Roll Play

With a serviceable handle, Thornton will be capable of running the pick and roll with any number of partners.

Finishing and Touch

Despite a lack of verticality, Thornton shot 75% at the rim this season.

Positional Rebounding and Passing

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

Areas of Improvement

Defensive Ceiling

Thornton is a scrappy defender, but doesn’t offer much in the ways of pure ball-stopping.

Role: Spark-Plug Bench Guard

Impact: Rotation

Swing Skill: Defense

Fit with Houston Rockets

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.

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.

Thornton is a home-run pick for Houston, as shown by their aggressiveness in trading up to get him.

The Rockets still have remaining second-round picks, though it remains to be seen if they'll select them.

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