The Houston Rockets traded up to select former Ohio State Buckeyes point guard Bruce Thornton with the No. 31 pick in the 2026 NBA draft. With the pick, the Rockets may have found their point guard of the future.
Space City Scoop's Swoosh Shrestha believes that could be the case with Fred VanVleet entering a contract year during the 2026-27 season. Shrestha had cautious optimism as Thornton's frame started drawing comparisons to New York Knicks 2026 Finals MVP Jalen Brunson.
"The first step for Thornton to establish himself will be learning the ropes of the Rockets' offense from Fred VanVleet. As of now, the Rockets are still committed to VanVleet as their primary point guard. Drafting a potential replacement for him was a smart move, as long as Thornton makes good on the opportunity. He displayed great maturity during his college career, and Houston should feel good about him doing the same as he learns from VanVleet to begin his NBA career," Shrestha wrote.
Houston is a franchise potentially in flux come next offseason. Youth like Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith are no longer underpaid, while a big offensive jump is needed from both Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard for this to be a contender. In a loaded NBA Western Conference that features young juggernauts in the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder, the Rockets must soon prove it has a core that could contend with those Western Conference championship groups.
If the 2026-27 season doesn't prove that it can, Houston's core will be broken up. At a minimum, Kevin Durant will be moved, and the youth movement will fully begin. That'd include VanVleet not coming back. It'd also seemingly include Thornton in an important role.
Ohio State fans should pray for the Rockets' downfall
Until Thornton gets his shot, Buckeye Nation may need to cheer for the worst-case scenario in H-Town. While the Rockets could cling to not having VanVleet during the 2025-26 NBA season for why they didn't make it past the first round of the playoffs, this roster could prove that it's on two different timelines and must be changed.
The sooner that happens, the better. Thornton getting real game reps ASAP will help his development in a way that playing for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers never could. If Houston could sputter out before the next trade deadline, VanVleet's expiring contract, plus Durant's not-soon-after-that-expiring deal in 2028, would become tradable chess pieces.
Thornton is part of the youth movement that comes next. After scoring 20 on a 55/40/83 shooting split during his senior season, Thornton proved that he has undeniable big game potential in Columbus. Houston doesn't need to sit on that for a while, since Thornton just found out that he could've played a fifth year with updated five-in-five eligibility rules for the college game.
We'll see how long it takes for Thornton to be in a big role again. We know he'd dominate G League competition, so let's hope we could see him help resurrect the Rockets franchise after they embrace the future if/when the current core doesn't work out. If there's anything to KD using a burner to criticize teammates and they know about it, the band-aid needs to be ripped off ASAP.
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