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Rockets trade up in second round, draft Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton
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- Rockets trade up in second round, draft Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton
The Houston Rockets traded up in Wednesday's second round of the 2026 NBA draft and selected Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton at No. 31 overall.
The pick was owned by the Knicks at the start of the round. However, Houston traded the No. 39 and No. 53 overall selections to New York in exchange for the No. 31 and No. 55 picks.
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To complete the deal ( via ESPN's Shams Charania ), Houston also sent a a 2029 second-round selection (via Sacramento) to the Knicks.
As for Thornton, the 22-year-old averaged 19.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.9 assists last season while shooting 55.4% overall and 40.0% on 3-pointers.
Via NBA.com , a summary of Thornton's game is as follows:
Thornton's college arc and playing style draw natural comparisons to Jalen Brunson , who was a four-year, undersized guard and needed multiple years in the NBA before surprisingly developing into an All-NBA talent. That'd be a best-case scenario for Thornton, who's more likely to have a long career as a reserve or depth option. He's bigger than Tyus and Tre Jones , but like the brothers out of Duke, Thornton could be a steady backup guard whom coaches feel comfortable leading the second-unit offense. Thornton is also a few inches shorter than Lu Dort but just as strong and could be an annoying 3-and-D player for years if he focuses on being a wing at the next level.
Thornton measured in at the draft combine at 6-foot-0 and 223 pounds.
With the Rockets, Thornton will join a backcourt that currently features Fred VanVleet and Reed Sheppard as its primary ball-handling and shooting options.
Next up for the Rockets is the No. 55 overall selection later in Wednesday's second round, followed by an opportunity to negotiate summer-league and training-camp deals with undrafted free agents.
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More: 2026 NBA mock drafts: Houston's latest second-round projections
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets trade up in second round, draft Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton
