Bruce Thornton has us acting like Bart Simpson at a whiteboard:
“I will not overreact to Summer League. I will not overreact to Summer League. I will not…”.
OK, fine: I might overreact to Summer League. Through two games, Thornton is averaging 22.0 points, 4.5 assists, and 4.0 steals in two games.
Sure, he’s shooting 37.1% from deep. That’s where we should – you guessed it – not overreact to Summer League. He’s had one efficient game, and one inefficient one.
Bruce Thornton will not be the Houston Rockets’
starting point guard in 2026-27. That’s obvious. Still, he may be forcing his way into the rotational conversation. It raises a larger question:
What is the team’s point guard rotation even going to look like?
Rockets point guard rotation worth keeping an eye on
Fred VanVleet is the presumptive starter, but whether he’ll be the player he used to be is an article in itself:
And wouldn’t you know it, I already wrote it.
That was before VanVleet gave an interview and explained, in medical language, that his knee had kabloomed into a bazillion pieces. He’ll likely be on the floor when the opening buzzer sounds for the 2026-27 season, but his grip on the starting position feels tenuous.
The obvious heir to his throne would be Reed Sheppard, but Ime Udoka could have other plans. Whatever you think of Udoka’s defensive leanings, he may have a point.
If you’re deep enough into Rockets lore, you’ve probably seen the DataBallr stats. When Sheppard shares the floor with Alperen Sengun and without Amen Thompson, the Rockets are -3.9. With all three on the floor, they’re just +0.3. When Sheppard is with Thompson and without Sengun, they’re +12.4, and when he’s without either of his star teammates, the Rockets are +14.5.
The prevailing assumption is that Sheppard and Sengun can’t defend together. That’s not actually what the data shows, as it’s their Offensive Rating that drops. Still, this could be a case of noisy numbers. The broader point would be that, as of now, Sheppard and Sengun, for whatever reason, don’t seem to mix.
The Rockets were a jarring -9.7 when Sengun was without either Thompson or Sheppard, so maybe he’s the root of the problem. In any case, he’ll be the starting center for game one, even if we can’t speak to Game 42.
So maybe Marcus Smart is the best option.
There’s a bit of an uncomfortable tension (understatement) surrounding the conversation about Sengun. His most devout followers will tell you that he needed a quality point guard in 2025-26, and that’s why he had a bit of a rough season.
Only, he was less efficient around the rim next to Fred VanVleet the year prior. More broadly, if Sengun is a play-finishing big who needs a star point guard to succeed, what’s his purpose? Isn’t he the star playmaker? If he’s a star player, shouldn’t he thrive next to a floor spacer who can make a simple entry pass without activating him in the pick-and-roll?
Smart meets the criteria. If Sengun can’t succeed with him, there are bigger conversations to have about his viability as a star player. He’s also the perfect point-of-attack defender to offset his limitations on that end of the floor:
Should he be the starter in 2026-27?
Rockets must explore all backcourt options
It’s going to be a committee, and that’s perfectly fine.
VanVleet has earned the initial nod. The Rockets should see who he is in 2026-27 before making systemic changes.
If he isn’t the man he used to be, it’s fair to assume Smart is next in line. It’s probably more optimal to maximize the minutes Sheppard spends piloting the second unit. His minutes will ideally increase in 2026-27, but a higher spike in his usage would be more significant.
If he’s wildly successful in that role, he should be starting by the end of the year. Sheppard is, above all else, confounding. One would like the third overall pick to be starting at the beginning of his third season, but painful as it is to accept, Sheppard is a tremendous defensive liability. He’ll likely have to be a top 5 shooter in the NBA to be worth starting, so that’s the bar he should be looking to clear with the second unit to begin the season.
If VanVleet is good to go, or Sheppard breaks out, it shouldn’t affect Smart too much. He’s probably a natural two, and he can even play the three. Smart can get in where he fits in.
Then, there’s Thornton. Pencil him in for the Aaron Holiday role – for now. With his unique weight and strength for his height, Thornton plays bigger than 6’1″. By the end of the year, he may be making a case for a bigger role in 2027-28:
Although we’ve only seen him in two Summer League games so far.
