Houston Rockets All-Time Team: Starting Lineup, Bench, And Coach

The history of the Houston Rockets dates back to 1967 when the franchise was founded as an expansion team out of San Diego. The Rockets would play in San Diego for 5 seasons before relocating to Houston in 1971. In their history, Houston has won 2 NBA titles and has won 4 Western Conference championships. The Rockets would not see their first winning record until the 1976-77 season when they acquired a man who will be in their starting lineup today, Moses Malone. In 1981, Malone led the Rockets to the NBA Finals and they became the first and only team to reach the Finals with a losing record.

The Rockets would appear once again in the NBA Finals in 1986 led by Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson, only to fall to the 67-win Celtics. Finally, in 1994 and 1995, Olajuwon led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances and the only 2 titles in Rockets franchise history. Throughout the years, the Rockets have been home to countless MVP winners, All-Stars, legends, and champions. Today, we will choose the best players from every position and build an unstoppable lineup should they ever step on the court together. Is the Rockets’ all-time lineup the best out of the ones we have built so far? Lets us know.

This is the Houston Rockets' all-time starting lineup, bench, and coach.

Guard - Calvin Murphy

Championships: 0

Career Stats (with Rockets): 17.9 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 4.4 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Career Achievements (with Rockets): 1x All-Star

Calvin Murphy played the entirety of his 13-year career with the San Diego and Houston Rockets. Murphy was a speedy and explosive point guard who could score and facilitate among the best point guards in the NBA at the time. Murphy is to the Rockets what Kobe was to the Lakers and Duncan was to the Spurs. In a time when titles were impossible to come by for the Rockets, Murphy gave the team an identity and teams knew it was going to be a tough matchup with Murphy out on the floor.

At the time of his retirement, Murphy was 1st in franchise history in points, assists, and steals. He now ranks 3rd in points and 2nd in both steals and assists. Murphy at his peak was a 25.6 PPG scorer and a 6.0 APG point guard. He was pretty efficient for the position as well, shooting 48.2% for his career from the field. He earned the only All-Star appearance of his career in the 1978-79 season when he averaged 20.2 PPG, 4.3 APG, and 1.4 SPG on 49.6% shooting. If all of this isn’t enough to convince you that he is worthy of the starting spot, did I mention that he did all of this while being only 5’9’’?

Guard - James Harden

Championships: 0

Career Stats (with Rockets): 29.6 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 7.7 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.6 BPG

Career Achievements (with Rockets): 1x MVP, 8x All-Star, 7x All-NBA Team Selection

After winning the Sixth Man of the Year award with the Thunder in 2012, James Harden was handed the keys to the franchise with the Houston Rockets. Harden immediately became one of the best guards in basketball armed with explosive scoring and electric playmaking. Harden got whatever he wanted on offense, driving by defenders on the perimeter or leaving them lost with his stepback jumper. He also developed an unstoppable Eurostep that aided in him breaking some NBA scoring records along the way and his ability to manipulate defenses and get to the foul line earned him a host of individual accolades.

The Houston Rockets were perennial contenders in the Western Conference during the 2010s and James Harden was the main reason why. Harden won his first assists title in 2017 when he averaged 29.1 PPG and 11.2 APG. The following season in 2018, he would grab his first of three straight scoring titles and an MVP award. Harden averaged 30.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 8.8 APG on 44.9% shooting to lead the Rockets to 65 wins. He would win 2 more scoring titles in a row including averaging a career-high 36.1 PPG in 2019 in 78 games played.

Guard - Tracy McGrady

Championships: 0

Career Stats (with Rockets): 22.7 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 5.6 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.6 BPG

Career Achievements (with Rockets): 3x All-Star, 3x All-NBA Team Selection

When Tracy McGrady arrived in Houston in the 2004-05 season, he was coming off of a monster stretch as a member of the Orlando Magic. That stretch continued for the first few seasons with the Rockets as he was one of the most explosive players in the game. He was a true three-level scoring threat with a flair for the dramatic and knocking down clutch shots. If you don’t believe me, ask the Spurs about his 13 points in 32 seconds. McGrady was an athletic specimen on the court but toward the end of his Houston tenure, injuries began to take their toll and McGrady couldn’t get Houston past the first round of the playoffs.

McGrady’s first 3 seasons with the team were incredible. He was selected to 3 straight All-Star teams and was selected as a member of 3 straight ALl-NBA Teams as well. Over that stretch, he averaged 25.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 5.8 APG, and 1.5 SPG. He led Houston to the playoffs in 2005, 2007, and 2008 but injuries to himself and co-star Yao Ming always derailed their plans to contend for a championship. For his body of work during the first 3 seasons in H-Town, McGrady is the easy choice to be in the starting lineup for Houston’s all-time team.

Center - Moses Malone

Championships: 0

Career Stats (with Rockets): 24.0 PPG, 15.0 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.6 BPG

Career Achievements (with Rockets): 2x MVP, 5x All-Star, 4x All-NBA Team Selection, 1x All-Defensive Team Selection

This is where our lineup gets and stays big for almost the entire remainder of this lineup. We kick things off with Moses Malone who was a 2-time MVP with the Rockets and one of their greatest players in history. Malone was one of the best rebounders in basketball and had a nose for the ball that saw him grab 3 rebounding titles with the team. He was a natural-born leader and scorer. No opponent could slow him down in the paint and on defense, he was a shot alterer whose opponents had to account for every time they came down the court.

Malone made an immediate impact upon his arrival in Houston with the Rockets. He earned his first NBA All-Star appearance with the team in 1978 and averaged 19.4 PPG and 15.0 RPG. The following season, Malone was named MVP for the first time with 24.8 PPG and a league-leading 17.6 RPG. In 1981, the Rockets limped their way to the playoffs with a 40-42 record. Malone took charge and led the Rockets to the NBA Finals, making them the only team in NBA history to make the Finals with a losing regular-season record. In 1982, his final year in Houston, Malone would again be named MVP when he averaged 31.1 PPG and 14.7 RPG. Malone would win an NBA championship with the Sixers in 1983, one year after leaving the Rockets.

Center - Hakeem Olajuwon

Championships: 2

Career Stats (with Rockets): 22.5 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.8 SPG, 3.2 BPG

Career Achievements (with Rockets): 1x MVP, 2x Finals MVP, 2x Defensive Player Of The Year, 12x All-Star, 11x All-NBA Team Selection, 9x All-Defensive Team Selection

Hakeem Olajuwon played 17 of his 18 NBA seasons with the Houston Rockets and established himself as the franchise’s greatest player over that time. Hakeem was the best two-way big man in the game who made the league’s other top centers look like regular people whenever they met on the court. He could be considered the greatest defender of all time considering how valuable interior defense was in his era and 3 career blocks titles and a 3.2 BPG average. He was also a serious offensive threat with his unstoppable Dream Shake in the post and ability to step out and hit 10 to 12-foot jumpers regularly.

In 12 of his first 13 seasons in the NBA, Olajuwon was named an All-Star and was immediately among the top players in the league. He won his only MVP award in 1994 when he averaged 27.3 PPG, 11.9 RPG, and 3.7 BPG. He then led the Houston Rockets to the NBA Finals where he dominated the competition along the way. He delivered the franchise their first-ever NBA title and had already been considered the greatest player in team history. In 1995, Olajuwon finished 2nd to David Robinson in the MVP voting but made him pay in the Western Conference playoffs. Hakeem led the 6-seed Rockets back to the NBA Finals where they once again emerged victorious and Olajuwon was named Finals MVP. They were the first 6th seed to win the NBA Finals and have been the only one in NBA history since.

Bench

Guard - Clyde Drexler

Championships: 1

Career Stats (with Rockets): 19.0 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.6 BPG

Career Achievements (with Rockets): 2x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Team Selection

Clyde Drexler was widely considered the 2nd best shooting guard of the 80s and 90s behind the greatest player of all time, Michael Jordan. After spending his first 12 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers and leading them to 2 NBA Finals appearances, Drexler was traded to Houston to hopefully contend for the championship that had eluded him his entire career. After Drexler was traded to Houston, the team went on a run in the regular season and playoffs that many saw as improbable and won their 2nd straight NBA championship. Many have claimed that Hakeem was the sole reason for the 2nd title but we cannot downplay the contributions of Drexler to that team.

Drexler would appear in 35 games for the Rockets in 1995 and averaged 21.4 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 4.4 APG, and 1.8 SPG. In the playoffs, he made his presence known as well averaging 20.5 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 5.0 APG. Drexler and the Rockets won the championship as the 6th seed in the West and he finally had felt what it was like to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy above his head. Drexler would make 2 more All-Star appearances for the Rockets in 1996 and 1997 before retiring after the 1997-98 season.

Forward - Elvin Hayes

Championships: 1

Career Stats (with Rockets): 20.6 PPG, 12.2 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.9 BPG

Career Achievements (with Rockets): 4x All-Star

Elvin Hayes was the first overall pick to the San Diego Rockets in the 1968 NBA Draft. Hayes immediately established himself as one of the best players in basketball with the Rockets and took the league by storm as a rookie. Hayes was a ferocious rebounder who took pride in gaining his team's extra possessions on the offensive end. His athleticism made him a nightmare for opponents in the open court as well as a tough assignment in the paint. Hayes ran into little opposition as he became one of the best two-way bigs in basketball.

As mentioned earlier, Hayes was an elusive and talented scorer right away for the Rockets in 1969. As a rookie, Hayes won the NBA’s scoring title when he averaged 28.4 PPG on 44.7% shooting and played in all 82 games. He also grabbed 17.1 RPG that season but was snubbed of a Top 20 MVP finish. Hayes would have another monster season with the Rockets in 1970 when he averaged 27.5 PPG and led the league with 16.9 RPG. Hayes would have 2 more All-Star seasons with the Rockets before moving on to the Washington Bullets. In his first 4 seasons with Houston, Hayes averaged 27.4 PPG and 16.3 RPG. He then played 3 seasons with the team at the very end of his career and retired from the game in 1984.

Forward - Rudy Tomjanovich

Championships: 0

Career Stats (with Rockets): 17.4 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.3 BPG

Career Achievements (with Rockets): 5x All-Star

This isn’t the last time we will see Rudy Tomajnovich in this lineup today but for now, he makes it as a player, Tomjaovich’s story is one of struggle and triumph during his NBA career and he played with an energy unmatched by many on the court. Tomjanovich ranks 4th all-time in Rockets history in points and is one of 6 legends to have their jersey retired by the team. During his playing days, Tomjanovich was an efficient scorer and natural-born leader, as we would also see later on in his life.

Tomjanovich played the entirety of his 11 seasons in the NBA with the San Diego and Houston Rockets. It took 4 seasons but eventually, he became an All-Star in 1974. He averaged 24.5 PPG and 9.0 RPG that season and started a streak of 4 straight years as an ALl-Star. Over those 4 years, Rudy averaged 21.4 PPG and 8.3 RPG on 52.2% shooting from the floor. Then, in 1977, Tomjanovich was sucker punched by Kermit Washington, shattering his eye socket and nearly blinding him. He attempted a comeback and even made another All-Star team in 1979 but he was never the same and walked away from the game in 1981 at the age of 32.

Center - Yao Ming

Championships: 0

Career Stats (with Rockets): 19.0 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.4 SPG, 1.9 BPG

Career Achievements (with Rockets): 8x All-Star, 5x All-NBA Team Selection

At his peak, Yao Ming was one of the best centers in basketball. Injuries due to his massive size cut his career short and robbed us of a true measure of how good he could have been. Ask any big man in the 2000s and they will tell you how tough of a matchup Yao Ming was. He was 7’6’’, and 310 pounds of pure skill for a man his height. He displayed the softest of touches around the basket and could even step out a bit to knock down mid-range shots. On defense, he showed great instincts and skill, becoming a decent shot-blocker and force to be reckoned with on the interior.

Due to his massive popularity in China, Ming was voted an All-Star in every season of his career. He earned most of them though, becoming a 25.0 PPG and 10.0 RPG player in his prime. His peak can only be considered a 3-year stretch from 2006 through 2008. Over this time period, Yao averaged 23.0 PPG, 10.2 RPG, and 1.9 BPG. From there, the injuries began to pile up and take hold of his career. Ming would be forced to retire in 2011 after just 8 seasons in the NBA and at the young age of 30 years old.

Center - Ralph Sampson

Championships: 0

Career Stats (with Rockets):19.7 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.0 SPG, 1.9 BPG

Career Achievements (with Rockets): 1x Rookie Of The Year, 4x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Team Selection

Ralph Sampson is one of the bigger what-ifs in NBA history. The Houston Rockets chose him as their first overall pick in the 1983 draft. With his size, speed, and agility, he came into the league with high expectations from NBA fans and the media. Sampson would meet those expectations in the early parts of his career, although he never delivered the team a championship. Sampson suffered back and knee issues that would begin to steer Sampson toward the end of his career after just 4 seasons in the league. In those first 4 seasons, was a career good enough to land him on the bench for our all-time lineup and the cherry on top of our big lineup.

In his debut season with the Rockets in 1983-84, Sampson averaged 21.0 PPG and 11.1 RPG on 52.3% shooting from the field. He won the Rookie of the Year award and was named an All-Star. The following season, Sampson earned the only All-NBA Team selection of his career when he averaged 22.1 PPG and 10.4 RPG for the 48-win Rockets. In 1985-86, Sampson and teammate Hakeem Olajuwon led the Rockets to the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. The Rockets fell in 6 games but the future was solidified with Olajuwon and Sampson at the core of it. However, Sampson would have just 2 more ALl-Star seasons before injuries began to derail his career, He was traded during the 1988 season and retired in 1992 at 31 years old.

Coach - Rudy Tomjanovich

Rudy Tomjanovich is the easy choice for the Houston Rockets’ all-time Head Coach as the only man that helped deliver championship glory to the franchise. Tomjanovich became an assistant coach with the team for the 1983-84 season where he remained until he took the head coaching job in 1991-92. By 1994, he was leading them to their first NBA championship just 2 seasons after taking the job. He led them back to the NBA Finals in 1995 and became the first 6th-seeded team to win the NBA Finals. Overall, Tomjanovich accumulated a 503-397 record with the team from 1992 through 2003, good for a 55.9% winning percentage.

How Would This Team Perform Together On The Court?

I bet when you first read the headline you didn’t think the Houston Rockets' all-time team was this stacked. The truth is, this Houston lineup is one of the most formidable all-time lineups that we have built so far. Offensively, this team is dynamic and can hit you from every which way at every position on the court. Murphy, Harden, and McGrady are versatile three-level scorers who can take over a game at any point in time, especially McGrady and Harden. Olajuwon and Malone are two great scorers on the interior as well with Olajuwon having a far more polished offensive game and Malone working for offensive boards.

Defensively, this team is a little lackadaisical on the perimeter but almost has a force field around in the paint. Murphy and Harden can certainly be pesky defenders with their quick hands and ability to clog passing lanes but the real strength and anchor of this defense comes from Olajuwon and Malone. Opponents will have to form an elaborate game plan based on mid-range and perimeter shots in order to make up for the presence of Malone and Olajuwon. This will work in Houston’s favor due to the rebounding skills of those 2 as well.

The bench for this Rockets team gives them a depth advantage over most all-time lineups. Drexler, Hayes, and Tomjanovich give them more scoring off of the bench which is critical to any team’s success. The sheer size and defensive presence of Houston’s bench are overwhelming as well with 4 players who played the power forward or center positions lying in wait on the bench. This Houston Rockets all-time lineup presents issues across the board for any other lineup we have built so far and it wouldn’t shock me to see them as the last team standing in a tournament between them all.