Houston recalled Thornton from the G League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers on Saturday.
Thornton is back with the Rockets after delivering a strong display in Friday's G League game against the Austin Spurs, racking up 31 points, eight rebounds and five assists in that outing. It has been more difficult for him to impress at the NBA level though, as he still looks to improve on his averages of 2.0 points and 0.2 rebounds in 3.0 minutes per game over the 2026-27 campaign.