Three underrated players in Rockets history

Since it is the off-season, houston rockets With the news slowing to the dribble (I was going to), many fans are starting to realize that basketball is months away.

The Rockets have a long list of great players like Moses Malone, Elvin Hayes, Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, James Harden and of course GOAT Hakeem Olajuwon.

The Rockets are one of the NBA’s most winning franchises. Of course, it’s all thanks to the aforementioned great players, but no team in his sport can win consistently without his cast of excellent support. The Rockets have had many great roll his players over the years and have been a big part of Houston’s wins.

They also had guys who were more than role players. They’re the players who made the All-Star Game and were inducted into the Hall of Fame.

With no basketball in a while, it’s the perfect time to discuss three previously undertold Rockets and why they’ve become such an important part of the teams they’ve played on in their careers.

Calvin Murphy

Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images

Played for the Rockets from 1970-1983

Most Rockets fans know Calvin Murphy for appearing on Rockets broadcasts and more recently as a pre- and post-game studio analyst. However, Murphy is more than just a TV personality. He had a long and distinguished playing career. Murphy was named a three-time All-American at Niagara University, averaging 33.1 points per game, making him one of the all-time scoring players in college history.

Murphy was drafted by the then San Diego Rockets before moving to Houston. With the Rockets, Murphy made his team All-Star his rookie in 1971 and All-Star his game in 1979. San Antonio Spurs.

Murphy held the record for consecutive free throws made in a single season and the record for highest free throw percentage for several years before it was broken. When he retired in 1983, he was the Rockets’ all-time scoring and assists leader.

Murphy, No. 23, retired from the Rockets and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.

Otis Thorpe

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Played for the Rockets from 1988-1995

On his birthday, it’s appropriate to talk about one, if not the greatest power forward in Rockets history.Otis Thorpe played seven seasons with the Rockets. He started his career in Kansas City before joining the RocketsSacramento Kings.

Thorpe was an enforcer next to Hakeem Olajuwon while in Houston. One of the greatest outlets in NBA history, he was named an All-Star to his team in 1992 as a member of the Rockets. He averaged 17.3 points and 10.5 rebounds in his only All-Star season.

Of course, the highlight of his career was when he led the Rockets to their first championship in franchise history in 1993-94. During that season, he averaged 14 points and his double of 10.6 rebounds.

The Otis Thorpe trade that brought Clyde Drexler to Houston the following year has been talked about more than Thorpe as a player. But Thorpe was more than a blockbuster footnote. He had Hakeem’s back in the frontcourt and was a player who rarely missed a game. Thorpe played in his then-record 542 consecutive games.

Thorpe should be remembered as a key player in the greatest season in Rockets history.

Aaron Brooks

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Played for the Rockets from 2007-2011 and 2012-2014

One of the fastest players in Rockets history, Aaron Brooks has had some of the best playoff moments in the last 15 years. Brooks began his 2007-08 career with the Rockets, appearing in his 51 games off the bench.

Brook’s career began in 2009-10, when he started and appeared in all 82 games, averaging 19.6 points per game. Brooks also won the Most Valuable Player award that season. Brooks made a name for himself in the playoffs that year. lakersEven without Yao Ming, who suffered a year-end (and nearly career-ending) leg injury in Game 3 of the same Lakers series, the Rockets held LA to seven games. Brooks said he averaged 18 points against Bryant and the Lakers against Bryant and the Lakers, and he shot 40% from his 3-point range.

Brooks was traded to the Suns during the 2010-11 season, but returned to the Rockets in 2012-13 and played two more seasons with the team, eventually completing his career playing for a total of four teams between 2013-2018. I’m done.

Brooks was only six feet tall, but played big every game and is one of my personal favorite Rockets I’ve ever seen. In his six seasons with the Rockets, Brooks averaged 11.7 points and he averaged 3.3 assists, shooting 40.8% from the field and 36.9% across the arc.