The Houston Rockets were one of the few teams that were watching from the sidelines on day one of the NBA draft. With zero first-round picks for the first time since 2018, the Rockets were focused on day two, as they came in with two second-round picks.
The Rockets have been active in the first round since 2021, drafting several first-round picks, including seven in the top 20. The Rockets, however, are at a point where they value players who can help them win now more than finding a future star in the draft.
That doesnt mean the Rockets dont want to find a player who can contribute as a role player. The Rockets signaled they were going all in on winning now when they traded for Kevin Durant last offseason. The move saw them trade away their first pick of the 2020s in Jalen Green as part of the blockbuster move.
Unfortunately for the Rockets, this past season didn't turn out the way they hoped. From injuries to inconsistent play by key players, the Rockets suffered their second straight first-round defeat. The Rockets struggled all season trying to fill the void left after the injury to Fred VanVleet, and that seemed to be their main focus for the second day of the 2026 draft.
The Rockets saw a player they wanted to add to the team and moved up eight spots to the first pick of the second round, selecting Bruce Thornton out of Ohio State. Thornton brings toughness and the ability to score at all three levels of the court, and, despite his size, is not a liability on defense. More importantly, he brings the leadership skills that any successful point guard needs in the NBA.
In today's college environment, most top players are one-and-done. Since they can't come straight out of high school and play in the NBA, elite prospects will attend one of the top programs in the country, play one season, and then enter the NBA draft.
That makes it rare for a player to be drafted who played four years of college basketball. Factor in the transfer portal, and it's even rarer to see a player play all four years at one or even two colleges.
Not only did Thornton play all four seasons, but he also played all four seasons at Ohio State. To show how valuable Thornton was throughout his time with the Buckeys, you can look at the fact that he was a starter in 136 of the 137 games he played.
Thornton was the team captain even as a freshman and served in that role throughout his college career. Thornton was the leader from the day he stepped on the court in Columbus.
His leadership skills go back even further as he led Melton High School to a Class 7A state title as a junior and was named Georgia's Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior. Having a father who was drafted in the fourth round in 2008 by the Dallas Cowboys and a brother who is going into his fourth season at the University of Florida, where he plays safety, defintely helps when it comes to understanding the meaning of teamwork and being a competitor.
The Rockets value players who are tough, but also, at this point in their development, players who can be leaders on the court and off. Even though he may not get as many minutes early on, especially with VanVleet scheduled to be back and ready for the start of training camp, Thornton, being a more mature player coming out of college, should hit the ground running.
With Summer League coming up in a couple of weeks, training camp, and the ability to get plenty of minutes with the Rockets G League team, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Thornton may well prove he deserves minutes sooner rather than later, and the leadership he has shown so far may play a big part.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/rockets/onsi as Bruce Thornton's Leadership Stands Out From His Time in College .
