The Ohio State basketball program was led by Bruce Thornton for four years. Even as a freshman, Thornton was the best player the Buckeyes had. Thornton was able to create his own shot off the dribble, which is not something that many other players on the roster could do.
Thornton was drafted in the second round of the NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets. In fact, he was the first pick of the second round. That was somewhat surprising, considering Thornton doesn't have the kind of athleticism at the guard spot that most teams are looking for.
Yet, clearly something attracted Houston to Thornton. Being the best player for the Ohio State Buckeyes clearly meant something to the Rockets. He had his first Summer League game on Friday night against the Nuggets, and he had a historic performance.
Former Ohio State basketball player Bruce Thornton has historic Summer League performance for the Rockets
In his Summer League debut, Thornton scored 27 points on 7/18 shooting. He was a perfect 7/7 from the free-throw line and was a game-high +20. Thornton also had three rebounds and three assists to go along with three steals. He had the most points in the history of the Rockets for a rookie in his Summer League debut.
Not only did Thornton score the ball well, but he also helped the Rockets win the game over Denver. That is one of the big reasons why Houston wanted to draft him. With a performance like this, this could really help Thornton not just make the roster but also get some playing time.
Another good thing was that Thornton only had one turnover in this game. When he was with the Ohio State Buckeyes, he always did a good job of taking care of the ball. Now, he is ready to bring that same steadiness at the point guard position to the Rockets.
Bruce Thronton can be Jake Diebler's first success story
Thornton is the first player that Jake Diebler has coached who has made the NBA. Having him in the league allows Diebler to point to some success that comes after playing for Ohio State. He can use Thornton as a recruiting tool to further expand the talent pool that the Buckeyes get.
Next season will be the first time that Diebler will have two five-star recruits on the roster at the same time. Both Anthony Thompson and LJ Smith will be playing for Ohio State next year. That level of talent is not something this program has had since Thad Matta was leading the program.
The more success Thornton has at the NBA level, the better it is for the recruiting efforts of Ohio State. Diebler is under a lot of pressure to start getting postseason success. Making the NCAA Tournament was great last season, but it's time for the team to actually advance in March Madness.
It wouldn't be shocking to see Thornton get some playing time off the bench as a rookie. It would be more surprising if he didn't make the roster
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