Ultimate 5: The best Rockets lineup since '95
While hoops remain on hiatus, theScore's NBA editors will be compiling ultimate starting lineups for each team in the Association. The catch: Only players who have been in the league since the 1995-96 season can be included.
The Houston Rockets have been one of the NBA's most consistently competitive clubs over the past 25 regular seasons, with only three sub-.500 records dating back to the start of the 1995-96 campaign. Most recently, the team was on pace to make its eighth consecutive playoff appearance before basketball was put on hold in March.
A number of all-time greats have helped Houston establish a stellar track record over the last two-and-a-half decades, but which ones deserve to crack the Rockets' ultimate starting lineup?
Guard
Steve Francis
Francis made it clear he had no intention of playing for the Vancouver Grizzlies after they drafted him second overall in 1999. Vancouver ended up dealing the Maryland product two months later to Houston, where he played the first five seasons of his pro career.
After winning Rookie of the Year in 1999-2000, Francis made three All-Star appearances with the Rockets before they traded him to the Orlando Magic in 2004. He returned to Houston for a 10-game run during the 2007-08 season in his last NBA stint.
The versatile point guard averaged 19 points, 6.3 assists, six rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game over in 384 career appearances for the Rockets.
Guard
James Harden
Having scored at least 50 points in a single game on 23 occasions so far in his career, Harden is the most lethal offensive weapon to ever don a Rockets uniform. He's racked up plenty of accolades since joining the organization in a trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2012, earning five All-NBA first-team nods and winning league MVP honors in 2017-18. He was well on his way to claiming his third straight regular-season scoring title when the NBA announced its indefinite hiatus.
Harden's offensive brilliance stems from a shot profile that features heavy doses of free throws and 3-pointers. "The Beard" leads the league in total attempts from both areas dating back to the 2009-10 season.
Forward
Tracy McGrady
Coming off four dominant All-Star seasons with the Magic in his early 20s, McGrady arrived in Houston as part of the Francis trade still very much at the peak of his offensive powers.
"T-Mac" quickly endeared himself to his new fan base, no more so than on Dec. 4, 2004, when he delivered one of the most incredible heat checks in NBA history. McGrady single-handedly willed the Rockets to a stunning comeback victory over the San Antonio Spurs, scoring 13 points in just 33 seconds.
A three-time All-NBA selection and three-time All-Star with Houston, McGrady also played a key role in the Rockets' 22-game win streak during the 2007-08 campaign. That run still stands as the fourth-longest in league history.
Injuries significantly limited McGrady near the end of his Rockets tenure, but he still averaged 22.7 points, 5.6 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.3 steals over 303 games with the franchise. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2017.
Center
Hakeem Olajuwon
Though Olajuwon helped the Rockets win back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995 - before our ultimate lineup cutoff date - he continued his dominant play in 1995-96 and 1996-97. "The Dream" saw his production fall off after that, but he still averaged an impressive 17.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.1 blocks, and 1.4 steals per game from the start of the 1995-96 campaign until the end of the 2000-01 season, his last with Houston.
Olajuwon still holds multiple franchise records, ranking first in Rockets history in total points (26,511), rebounds (13,382), blocks (3,740), steals (2,088), and win shares (160.6).
Center
Yao Ming
Assembling the Rockets' ultimate starting lineup without featuring the towering duo of Yao and Olajuwon felt totally unjustifiable, especially after comparing the centers' statistics from 1995-96 onward.
Yao averaged 19 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 486 games with the Rockets, making eight All-Star appearances and five All-NBA teams during his nine-year NBA tenure. Yao's career was unfortunately shortened by foot and ankle injuries, but he was nothing short of dominant when he did play.
Just Missed
Charles Barkley
Injuries got the better of Barkley in his four seasons with the Rockets. He appeared in just 183 of a possible 328 regular-season games, but he did contribute 16.5 points, 12.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per contest when available.
A core of Barkley, Olajuwon, and Clyde Drexler helped the Rockets reach the 1997 Western Conference finals, where they lost to the Utah Jazz in six games.
Chris Paul
Paul doesn't crack the Rockets' starting lineup largely due to a lack of service time. The floor general was his typically productive self when he did play for Houston, posting strong averages of 17.1 points, eight assists, and five rebounds. But he missed 24 games in each of his two regular seasons with the club.
Paul guided the Rockets to a 3-2 series lead over the Golden State Warriors in the 2018 Western Conference finals. Unfortunately, a hamstring injury forced him to miss Games 6 and 7, opening the door for the Warriors to storm back and win the series.
Clyde Drexler
After playing the first 12 seasons of his career with the Portland Trail Blazers, Drexler was traded to Houston during the 1994-95 campaign. He'd go on to win an NBA championship alongside Olajuwon that season.
The Hall of Fame guard was a two-time All-Star with the Rockets, averaging 19 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.9 steals in 219 games across four seasons. He retired at age 35 following Houston's first-round loss to the Jazz in the 1998 playoffs.
Luis Scola
Scola joined the NBA at age 27 after beginning his pro career overseas. The savvy power forward made an instant impact in Houston, averaging 14.5 points and 7.7 rebounds during his five-year run with the team.
The Argentinian was a durable player for the Rockets, appearing in 386 of a possible 394 regular-season games before injuries began impacting him later in his career.