Bruce Thornton’s run through NBA Summer League ended with a rough night against Memphis, but the bigger picture still points in one direction: he looked like he belonged.
The former Ohio State guard had been one of Houston’s most productive players in Las Vegas before the semifinals, helping push the Rockets into the last four before they were knocked out by the Grizzlies. Against Memphis, Thornton managed eight points on 2-for-12 shooting, a flat finish that didn’t erase the work he put in over the previous stretch.
Through his first four games, Thornton averaged 21.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and three steals. That kind of production only added to the sense that the Buckeyes’ all-time leading points scorer may have been one of the steals of the draft after Houston took him with the 31st pick, alongside Cleveland’s Meleek Thomas and Miami’s Ryan Conwell, both second-round selections.
Thornton’s Summer League started with a bang. He opened by scoring 27 points, grabbing three rebounds and handing out three assists in Houston’s 97-86 win over the Denver Nuggets. Then he showed a different side of his game against the Toronto Raptors, finishing with 17 points, six rebounds and five steals in a loss.
Those first two outings gave a clean snapshot of what he can offer when preseason rolls around: volume scoring on one end, active and disruptive defense on the other.
He kept it rolling with 23 points on 7-for-13 shooting, plus four rebounds, in a 100-83 win over the Brooklyn Nets that locked up Houston’s semifinal spot. Memphis slowed him down after that, but the broader sample still told the story.
What stood out for the Rockets wasn’t just the scoring. It was how Thornton got there.
He played under control, made smart decisions with the ball and kept making the right reads. Even when shots didn’t fall, he kept choosing the right ones and helped set the tone for the offense.
He also showed he can bring teammates into the action, using his feel for the game to manage pace and flow. That’s part of why he’s already being viewed as someone who can stick in the league as a reserve and maybe grow into more with Houston.
At Ohio State, Thornton made his name as a bigger, more physical guard. That approach won’t translate the same way in the NBA, where he’ll need to lean more into craft, scoring touch and disruptive defense. That’s the adjustment ahead.
For now, though, the Rockets have seen enough to know there’s real value here. One bad game won’t change that. Thornton will get another chance to show he can keep building on what he put together in Las Vegas.
In Other News...
Michigan Just Took Another Major Hit Behind The Scenes
Michigans athletic department is dealing with another round of turbulence behind the scenes, with athletic director Warde Manuel reportedly expected to exit at the end of the calendar year. The move comes after an outside firm examined the culture inside the department, though the findings have not been made public, leaving plenty of questions about what prompted the latest shake-up in Ann Arbor.
For Ohio State, the news serves as another reminder of how different things have looked across the rivalry when it comes to athletic department stability. The Buckeyes have largely avoided the kind of public scandal and internal uncertainty now hovering over Michigan, and that contrast matters in a sport where off-field order can be just as important as what happens on game day. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Development Could Suddenly Reshape Ohio States Running Back Board
A recruiting domino in Tennessee is starting to matter well beyond Knoxville. Asa Barnes, the Tennessee running back target from the Volunteer State, is leaning toward staying home, and that could help clarify the top of the board for a pair of programs watching the same market closely. For Ohio State, the ripple effect is less about Barnes himself and more about how one decision can shape the path for another back the Buckeyes have their eyes on.
David Gabriel Georges is the name to watch next, with his choice expected to come after Barnes sorts out his future. Tennessee and Ohio State are both positioned around that decision, but the two schools do not present the same kind of running back picture, and that contrast could wind up mattering as the process unfolds. If Barnes lands where the momentum suggests, the rest of the board may start to move in a direction that gives the Buckeyes a cleaner read on where they stand. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Day Just Hit The Urban Meyer Comparison Fans Dread
Ryan Days Ohio State tenure has now reached the point where the comparisons to Urban Meyer are no longer just about style or expectations. Through seven seasons, the two coaches have lived in the same rarefied air in Columbus, each delivering a national championship and multiple Big Ten crowns while navigating very different versions of college football. The numbers are close enough to invite the conversation, and the circumstances around those numbers are different enough to keep it from being a simple one-to-one matchup.
The larger question is how to weigh all of it. Day has had to coach through the pandemic, the transfer-portal era and a sport that keeps changing around him, while Ohio States path through the Big Ten has also been shaped by expansion and a Michigan scandal that altered the landscape. So the Meyer comparison is flattering on one hand and nerve-wracking on the other, because it puts Day in the same sentence as a standard Buckeye fans still remember vividly. [Read more 🡒]