Kevin Durant will be the 12th top 75 player to don a Houston Rockets uniform. The number would be 13 were it not for what I believe was a snub of Dwight Howard, but nonetheless, the Rockets have had the third most top 75 players suit up for them, behind only the Celtics (20) and Lakers (18).
So where does Kevin Durant rank among the top 75 players that have represented H-Town? Well, since he has yet to even play a preseason game, we won’t be able to rank him based on his contribution to the Rockets, so let’s rank them based on their overall careers. Here’s my personal list from least to best.
#12 – Carmelo Anthony
It was short and it wasn’t that sweet, but Carmelo Anthony briefly played for the Rockets in the 2018-2019 season. Rockets fans are still confused, not as much about why the team released him, but more why they brought him in the first place. By that time, Anthony had logged 15 NBA seasons, establishing himself as one of the greatest scorers in NBA history, primarily from the mid-range. A shot that this iteration of the Rockets brass hated! Suddenly Carmelo Anthony was going to change his game and be a taller more skilled PJ Tucker?
I remember feeling that Melo was the Rockets missing piece, because other than Chris Paul, they had no one who could score from midrange. After notoriously missing 27 straight three-point shots against the Warriors in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals the year before, it made sense to me at least that the Rockets would look to acquire another player that could create their own shot and put the ball in the basket from anywhere on the floor. Daryl Morey didn’t see it that way, and after 10 games played for the Rockets he was released.
“Wait… I thought this list wasn’t based on Rockets tenure alone?” It isn’t. That’s how impressive the list of top 75 players who played for the Rockets is. Carmelo Anthony averaged 22.5 points per-game, 6.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1 steal in 19 seasons in the NBA. Only nine other players have scored more points than Carmelo Anthony. Although he is one of team USA’s all-time great performers, Anthony’s career lacked the postseason success to put him further up this list.
#11 – Rick Barry
Rick Barry only played 10 seasons in the NBA, but his impact was significant. A Finals MVP in 1975 for the Golden State Warriors, Barry averaged 23 points per-game, 6.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 2 steals per game. He shot 90 percent for his career from the free-throw line with his signature underhanded foul-shot. Barry would be much higher on the all-time NBA scoring list than where he currently resides at 78th, had he not ditched the league for the ABA from 1968 to 1972. By the time he got to the Rockets Barry was past his prime, with his minutes and production dropping significantly. I’d love to tell you more, but I wasn’t even born when any of this happened.
#10 – Chris Paul
A member of Houston’s all-time “What If” team, Chris Paul is arguably one of the top five greatest point-guards of all time, and the stats are not what tells that story. Sure, 17 points, 4.4 rebounds, 9.2 assists, and 2 steals a game is impressive, but Paul’s greatest strength has been what he does for his teammates. It’s no surprise that when Chris Paul arrived in Houston, the result was the most regular season wins in franchise history and an MVP season for James Harden.
Most NBA fans and analyst believe that had Paul not injured his hamstring in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals that season that year, that not only would the Rockets have gone on to beat the Warriors, but likely would have won the title. My feeling has always been that with Chris Paul on the floor, the Rockets do not miss 27 straight three-point shots in Game 7. Paul was the player who calmed the chaos in games all-season long, and for most of his career. I have little doubt he would have done the same in that most crucial situation.
#9 – Russell Westbrook
Another head-scratching addition to the Space City Hoop Squad, Russell Westbrook’s time as a Rocket was mostly forgettable. In a covid-disrupted season that ended up in “The Bubble”, in order to accommodate Westbrooks “game”, (aka inability to score anywhere but in the paint) the Rockets decided that trading Clint Capela, playing without a big-man, and putting PJ Tucker at Center was the move. The result was barely beating the guy you traded for Westbrook and his former team, only to get waxed in 5 games to the eventual champion, who didn’t have a 6’5” guy playing center, or a turnover machine at point-guard. I’m not still mad about it though. Either way, it was a far cry from what some (not me) expected from a former MVP who averaged a triple double four consecutive seasons prior to arriving in Houston.
#8 – Scottie Pippen
Scottie Pippen has been a controversial figure as an “OG” of the game, with his personal life sometimes in the forefront, his inconsistent takes on the greatness of his former running-mate Michael Jordan… But in his playing career there is little doubt that Scottie Pippen was and is one of the greatest of all-time. A seven-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, eight-time All-NBA Defensive player, and six-time champion… when the Rockets acquired him in a sign-and-trade after losing Clyde Drexler to retirement, it seemed that the Rockets championship window would stay open for just a few more seasons at least.
That was not the case. His beef with Charles Barkley, combined with the rapid decline of Hakeem Olajuwon, and lack of depth on the roster, ultimately lead to a very disappointing ending where the ball would rest in the hands of a 24-year-old rookie for a chance to save their entire season in a deciding Game 5 versus the Los Angeles Lakers. Prime Shaq vs rookie Cuttino Mobley at the rim… Well, if you don’t know what happened, you can guess or Google it. The point is the last time the ball was in the hands of the man they brought in to “Win one for Chuck”, Scottie Pippen dribbled the ball off of his foot and out of bounds. Rockets career in a nutshell.
#7 Elvin Hayes
Any of the true OGs may have an issue with me ranking Elvin Hayes this low, and I’ll be honest, they may be right. I never saw Elvin Hayes play. However, I know he’s a beast on that NBA 2K All-Time Wizards team. He’s also pretty damn good on the Rockets All-Time team. Elvin Hayes averaged 21 points and 12.5 rebounds for his career, was a 12-time all-star and a six-time member of the All-NBA team. I’ll also admit H-town bias has him ahead of Scottie Pippen and Carmelo Anthony on this list. The Big-E is a Houston legend having also played for the University of Houston, leading them to the Final-Four in 1967. He won an NBA title for the Washington Bullets in 1978, which remains the now Washington Wizards, only championship.
#6 – Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley’s tenure in Houston always gets a bad rap, in my opinion unfairly. Likely because the Rockets traded two key pieces from back-to-back championship teams to acquire the controversial former MVP, who was as well-known for his affinity for gambling and bar fights as he was for being a dominant force on the floor. By the time Barkley got to Houston, he was well past his prime, and it was obviously a ring chase move from his perspective. However, in his prime, Charles Barkley was All-NBA 11 times, an NBA All-Star 11 times, a league MVP, and at 6’5” is 19th on the All-Time NBA rebounding list, and 31st in scoring. It was a buzzer beater by John Stockton in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals in 1997 that landed Barkley on Houston’s all-time “What If” team, but even though he was past his prime and only played 183 games in four seasons, he is still one of the greatest players to ever put on a Rockets uniform, even if it was the ugly ones.
#5 – Clyde Drexler
Clyde “The Glide” Drexler is Houston royalty. From his time at Sterling Highschool where he was a multi-sport athlete, to the inception of the dopest fraternity ever created in “Phi Slamma Jamma”, you would think that Clyde, after having an amazing career for the Portland Trailblazers and leading them to the Finals twice, would be welcomed with open arms in Houston. While there were some fans who were excited about the move, there were many, including his new teammates, that were not thrilled at all. Otis Thorpe was a fan favorite, and his teammates loved him, but with the team suffering from major championship hangover in 1995, Clyde would be just the shot in the arm the team would need to improbably win the second of their back-to-back championships.
#4 – Moses Malone
To most, Moses Malone is considered to be a Philadelphia 76ers great, and he is. However, in Moses Malone’s 19 NBA seasons, he really peaked with the Rockets, winning two MVP awards while in Houston. In 1981, he led the sixth-seeded Rockets to the NBA Finals, where they eventually lost in six games to maybe the greatest Celtics team of all-time. Malone averaged 22 points and 12 rebounds over his career, winning MVP three times, All-NBA eight times, and was a 12-time all-star.
Unfortunately, he never won a championship with the Rockets. Instead, he won in his first season with the 76ers, but his jersey hangs in the rafters of Toyota Center for a reason, and you would catch him sitting court-side from time to time with another member of this list during the biggest games. Moses Malone is H-Town through-and-through.
#3 -James Harden
Say what you will about the way James Harden left the Rockets (I was very tempted to use a picture from that moment in time), but prime James Harden is to date the second greatest Houston Rocket of all-time. Let’s face it, he could have won MVP in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2019. He won only in 2018, but arguably should have won at least two more of them, which would have made him the only three-time MVP in Rockets history. (Malone won one of his with the 76ers)
You can’t deny how fun the regular season was with Harden mixing up the pot, licking his lips at dudes he just crossed up and laid out on the floor. Not since prime McGrady, prime Cynthia Cooper, or prime Olajuwon had H-Town has such an entertaining “must-see” basketball player. Failing to deliver in the playoffs will forever tarnish his legacy in Houston, but the impact on the franchises record books will last forever.
#2 – Kevin Durant
A two-time Finals MVP, the 2013-2014 NBA MVP, 11-TIME All-NBA, 15-time All-Star, and quite possibly the greatest scorer of the basketball EVER, Kevin Durant is not a player without flaws, but his flaws have nothing to do with basketball. Yeah, maybe he gets in his feelings a little too much when it comes to people talking about him on social media, maybe his haircut and beard isn’t always on-point, maybe he took the easier path to a championship when he joined the Warriors.
Okay, those are all valid criticisms. Can you tell me one thing that’s wrong about his game though? Kevin Durant is the eighth leading scorer in NBA history, and if all goes as planned, he very well may retire with the Rockets at minimum in the top five. There has never been another player like him, and we are pausing on Victor Wembanyama to see if there will ever be another. I don’t know what he will do as a member of the Rockets, but Kevin Durant is going to be the second-best player to ever put on a Rockets jersey.
#1 – Hakeem Olajuwon
Honesty… Do I even have to say anything? Okay, the only player in NBA history to be in the top 15 of four statistical categories. Points, rebounds, steals, and the overwhelming leader in blocked shots. 1994 NBA MVP, two-time Finals MVP, two-time DPOY… Hell, they named the trophy after him! I will be shocked if there is ever anyone greater that Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon to put on a jersey that says “Houston” on the front. Who else has a website named after their signature move? I rest my case.
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