NBA Draft: Ohio State's Bruce Thornton Rising as Versatile Lead Guard

Despite entering this season as an established guard, Bruce Thornton has continued making strides while steadily increasing his draft value.

Dec 21, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton (2) prepares before the start of the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images / John Jones-Imagn Images

With the majority of draft conversations centered around this year’s impressive freshman talent, the value of translatable upperclassmen has often gone overlooked. One of the most intriguing upperclassmen prospects is Ohio State’s junior guard Bruce Thornton. He has been productive in nearly every aspect of the game on both ends of the floor, and while he has been effective in each of his first two seasons, this year has looked like a strong final push toward the NBA.

Let’s take a closer look at Thornton’s strong overall play and dive into a few of his most promising performances of the season so far.

Thornton has been one of the best guards in all of college basketball this season, currently averaging 16.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 0.8 steals on impressive efficiency: 53.5% from the field, 47.6% from three and 82.3% from the free-throw line. He is leading the Buckeyes in both points and assists and has done as good a job as any lead guard in running the offense. His all-around feel with the ball in his hands appears highly translatable to the NBA level. Despite being an older prospect, his potential to continue developing into a long-term player at the next level seems promising.

His most recent game against Kentucky may have been his most impressive performance as a prospect, as he took over and led his team to an 85-65 victory over the loaded Wildcats roster. Thornton finished this game with a career-high 30 points, along with four rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal. While he scored from all three levels in this outing, the most impressive aspect of his game was how well he displayed patience and change of speed while attacking the rim. This playstyle allowed him to dictate the game within the perimeter and draw several fouls, creating easier points at the free-throw line, where he connected on 13-of-14 attempts. He didn’t always force fouls off his drives, but also showcased an impressive touch while moving quickly, helping him finish through traffic and over interior defenders.

Bruce Thornton went off for 3️⃣0️⃣ points in @OhioStateHoops' upset win over No. 4 Kentucky 👏#B1GMBBall pic.twitter.com/aTypCAYUMo

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) December 22, 2024

While the big performance against Kentucky was his most impressive as a scorer, he has also demonstrated excellent playmaking ability on several occasions. He recorded a season-high nine assists in two separate games this season, against Green Bay and Pittsburgh. He also averaged 24.5 points in these two showings, but what really stood out was his ability to get the ball to open teammates for clean looks. He was at his best navigating pick-and-rolls, either hitting the roll man for easy looks at the rim or slinging quick passes to shooters after the defense shifted. Thornton’s ability to set the table for others is not only reflected in his assist numbers but also in his low turnover rate. He has not recorded more than two turnovers in any game so far this year and has maintained a positive assist-to-turnover ratio in all but two outings.

In conclusion, Bruce Thornton’s combination of scoring efficiency, playmaking and maturity makes him one of the most intriguing upperclassmen prospects for the 2025 NBA draft. While much of the focus this year has understandably been on freshmen, Thornton's consistent performance and his ability to impact the game in various ways should earn him more attention as the draft approaches. If he continues to develop and refine his game, he could prove to be a very valuable asset at the next level.

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