2026 NBA Draft grades, second-round pick-by-pick analysis

[ASFN Admin]

We handed out grades for every first-round pick of the 2026 NBA Draft. Now it’s time to grade the second round:

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31. Houston Rockets​

Bruce Thornton, 6-0, Ohio State senior guard​

Grade: A+​

The Rockets traded up to acquire Thornton from the Knicks, giving them a third small guard alongside Fred VanVleet and Reed Sheppard. Could this make Sheppard, the third pick in 2024, more expendable? Perhaps so, because Thornton is a three-level scorer with playmaking feel and the competitive fire that lifts a locker room. And even though he’s short, he weighs 223 pounds and has a 6-foot-5 wingspan. Players with his intangibles can prove to be important to winning teams though. He was a four-year captain at Ohio State, and improved every year on his way to becoming the school’s all-time leading scorer.

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32. Memphis Grizzlies​

33. Minnesota Timberwolves​

34. Cleveland Cavaliers​

35. Denver Nuggets​

36. LA Clippers​

37. Oklahoma City Thunder​

38. Chicago Bulls​

39. New York Knicks​

40. Boston Celtics​

41. Miami Heat​

42. San Antonio Spurs​

43. Brooklyn Nets​

44. San Antonio Spurs​

45. Sacramento Kings​

46. Orlando Magic​

47. New York Knicks​

48. Dallas Mavericks​

49. Denver Nuggets​

50. Toronto Raptors​

51. Washington Wizards​

52. LA Clippers​

53. New York Knicks​

54. Golden State Warriors​

55. Houston Rockets​

56. Los Angeles Lakers​

57. Atlanta Hawks​

58. New Orleans Pelicans​

59. Minnesota Timberwolves​

60. Washington Wizards​

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