James Harden joined the Rockets in 2012, playing with them until 2020.

From Hakeem Olajuwon to Moses Malone to Clyde Drexler, the Houston Rockets have had a bevy of Hall of Fame players play for the franchise. They have seen some gaudy stat lines along the way, including in the assists department. Let’s highlight their top five leaders for single season assists per game.

James Harden, 2017, 11.2 APG

Harden spent the first three seasons of his career with the Thunder before being traded to the Rockets. His first season with Houston came in 2012, and he made the All-Star team that season, averaging 25.9 points and 5.8 assists. Harden saw his assist production take off in 2016-17, leading the league by averaging 11.2 per game. While Harden saw his assist production decline following that season, he led the league in points per game each of the next three seasons.

John Lucas, 1978, 9.4 APG

The Rockets selected Lucas with the first pick in the 1976 Draft. He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in 1976-77, averaging 11.1 points and 5.6 assists per game. After averaging 31 minutes per game during his rookie season, he averaged 36 minutes per game in 1977-78. That increase in playing time helped him average 9.4 assists per game.

John Lucas, 1986, 8.8 APG

Following the 1977-78 season, Lucas was sent to the Warriors. He played for the Warriors, Washington Bullets, and the Spurs before returning to the Rockets prior to the 1984-85 season. He appeared in 65 games in 1985-86, averaging 8.8 assists to go along with 15.5 points per game. Lucas then joined the Bucks before the 1986-87 season. He played for both the Bucks and Seattle SuperSonics before spending the final season of his career with the Rockets. Over his three total stints with the team, Lucas averaged 11.6 points and 7.3 assists across 325 games.

James Harden, 2018, 8.8 APG

The 2017-18 season marked the first time that Harden led the league in scoring, finishing with 30.4 points per game. He also averaged 8.8 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.8 steals. The result was him winning the regular-season MVP award. Harden’s last full season with the Rockets came in 2020-21. The following season, he was dealt to the Nets. Across 621 regular-season games with the Rockets, Harden averaged 29.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 7.7 assists, and 1.8 steals.

Sleepy Floyd, 1989, 8.6 APG

Floyd played for the Nets and Warriors before being traded to the Rockets during the 1987-88 season. He then played all 82 games for the Rockets in 1988-89, averaging 14.2 points, 8.6 assists, and 1.5 steals. Floyd would appear in a total of 439 regular-season games with the Rockets during his career, averaging 11.5 points and 5.4 assists along the way.