Last Updated on September 15, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

League Search Page > NBA > Houston Rockets > Roster & Statistics

The Houston Rockets 1988–89 season revolved around Hakeem Olajuwon, whose elite scoring, rebounding, shot blocking, and defensive presence anchored the team at both ends of the floor. Otis Thorpe supplied efficient interior scoring and strong work on the glass, while Sleepy Floyd and Mitchell Wiggins added perimeter scoring and playmaking. Houston relied on its dominant frontcourt and physical defense, but inconsistent offensive support beyond its core contributors limited the team’s overall success.

Roster

NO PLAYER NAME POS HT WT DATE OF BIRTH COLLEGE
1 Buck Johnson SF 6-7 190 January 3, 1964 Alabama
3 Derrick Chievous SF 6-7 195 July 3, 1967 Missouri
6 Walter Berry PF 6-8 215 May 14, 1964 St. John’s
10 Purvis Short SF 6-7 210 July 2, 1957 Jackson State University
15 Frank Johnson PG 6-1 185 November 23, 1958 Wake Forest
21 Sleepy Floyd PG 6-3 170 March 6, 1960 Georgetown
25 Bernard Thompson PF 6-6 210 August 30, 1962 Fresno State
30 Allen Leavell SG 6-1 170 May 27, 1957 Oklahoma City University
33 Otis Thorpe PF 6-10 248 August 5, 1962 Providence
34 Hakeem Olajuwon C 7-0 255 January 21, 1963 Houston
35 Tony Brown SG 6-6 185 July 29, 1960 Arkansas
40 Tim McCormick C 6-11 240 March 10, 1962 Michigan
42 Mike Woodson SG 6-5 195 March 24, 1958 Indiana
52 Chuck Nevitt C 7-5 217 June 13, 1959 NC State

Regular Season Per Game

Player Pos Age G GS MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG TOV FGA FG% 3PA 3P% FTA FT%
Otis Thorpe PF 26 82 82 38.2 16.7 9.6 2.5 1.0 0.5 2.7 11.7 .542 0.0 .000 5.5 .729
Hakeem Olajuwon C 26 82 82 36.9 24.8 13.5 1.8 2.6 3.4 3.4 19.0 .508 0.1 .000 8.0 .696
Sleepy Floyd PG 28 82 82 34.0 14.2 3.7 8.6 1.5 0.1 3.1 10.9 .443 3.6 .373 3.8 .845
Mike Woodson SG 30 81 79 27.9 12.9 2.4 2.5 1.1 0.2 1.7 11.6 .438 1.1 .348 2.9 .823
Buck Johnson SF 25 67 51 27.6 9.6 4.3 1.9 1.0 0.5 1.6 7.7 .524 0.1 .111 2.0 .754
Walter Berry PF 24 40 14 20.0 8.8 3.8 1.4 0.5 0.9 1.2 6.8 .541 0.1 .500 2.0 .713
Derrick Chievous SF 21 81 1 19.0 9.3 3.2 1.0 0.6 0.1 1.7 7.8 .437 0.3 .208 3.0 .783
Purvis Short SF 31 65 16 17.8 7.4 2.8 1.6 0.7 0.2 1.1 7.4 .413 0.5 .273 1.4 .865
Tim McCormick C 26 81 0 15.5 5.2 3.2 0.7 0.2 0.3 0.8 4.3 .481 0.0 .000 1.6 .674
Frank Johnson PG 30 67 0 13.1 4.4 1.2 2.7 0.6 0.0 1.5 3.7 .443 0.1 .167 1.4 .806
Allen Leavell SG 31 55 3 11.4 3.3 1.0 2.3 0.5 0.1 1.1 3.4 .346 0.7 .122 1.1 .733
Bernard Thompson PF 26 23 0 9.7 2.7 1.2 0.6 0.6 0.0 0.8 2.6 .339 0.1 .000 1.1 .846
Tony Brown SG 28 14 0 6.5 2.6 1.1 0.4 0.2 0.0 0.5 3.2 .311 0.6 .222 0.6 .750
Chuck Nevitt C 29 43 0 5.3 1.5 1.5 0.2 0.1 0.7 0.5 1.4 .435 0.0 — 0.4 .688
Team Totals — — 82 82 242.1 108.5 45.9 24.6 9.6 6.1 19.1 87.8 .474 6.4 .314 30.8 .755

Regular Season Totals

Player Pos Age GP GS Min Pts Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGA FGM 3PA 3PM FTA FTM
Otis Thorpe PF 26 82 82 3135 1370 787 202 82 37 225 961 521 2 0 450 328
Hakeem Olajuwon C 26 82 82 3024 2034 1105 149 213 282 275 1556 790 10 0 652 454
Sleepy Floyd PG 28 82 82 2788 1162 306 709 124 11 253 893 396 292 109 309 261
Mike Woodson SG 30 81 79 2259 1046 194 206 89 18 136 936 410 89 31 237 195
Buck Johnson SF 25 67 51 1850 642 286 126 64 35 110 515 270 9 1 134 101
Derrick Chievous SF 21 81 1 1539 750 256 77 48 11 136 634 277 24 5 244 191
Tim McCormick C 26 81 0 1257 425 261 54 18 24 68 351 169 4 0 129 87
Purvis Short SF 31 65 16 1157 482 179 107 44 13 70 480 198 33 9 89 77
Frank Johnson PG 30 67 0 879 294 79 181 42 0 102 246 109 6 1 93 75
Walter Berry PF 24 40 14 799 350 152 57 19 35 49 270 146 2 1 80 57
Allen Leavell PG 31 55 3 627 179 53 127 25 5 62 188 65 41 5 60 44
Chuck Nevitt C 29 43 0 228 65 64 3 5 29 22 62 27 0 0 16 11
Bernard Thompson SG 26 23 0 222 62 28 13 13 1 19 59 20 2 0 26 22
Tony Brown SG 28 14 0 91 36 15 5 3 0 7 45 14 9 2 8 6
Team Totals     82 82 19855 8897 3765 2016 789 501 1534 7196 3412 523 164 2527 1909

HeatingUp Impact Index: Team Impact Spotlight

Player Name Role Tier MPG Usage Tier PPG RPG APG STK (SPG+BPG) Impact Index* Notes
Hakeem Olajuwon Franchise Anchor / Defensive Core 36.9 High 24.8 13.5 1.8 6.0 23.0 Elite two-way force. Dominant rim control (3.4 BPG) and interior scoring engine. Top-5 MVP and DPOY finalist.
Otis Thorpe Secondary Scoring / Rebounding Workhorse 38.2 Medium-High 16.7 9.6 2.5 1.5 15.2 Reliable inside finisher, high-efficiency forward complementing Olajuwon. Heavy minutes, low flash but consistent impact.
Sleepy Floyd Primary Facilitator / Secondary Scorer 34.0 High 14.2 3.7 8.6 1.6 14.0 Led team in assists. Balanced offensive connector. Defensive contribution modest but steady playmaker.
Mike Woodson Veteran Wing Scorer 27.9 Medium 12.9 2.4 2.5 1.3 9.6 Reliable perimeter scoring option. Offered spacing in an otherwise interior-focused lineup.
Buck Johnson Two-Way Forward / Glue Piece 27.6 Medium-Low 9.6 4.3 1.9 1.5 8.6 Quiet efficiency, defensive versatility, capable cutter. Showed growth in rotation reliability.
Walter Berry Bench Scorer / Energy Forward 20.0 Medium 8.8 3.8 1.4 1.4 7.7 High per-minute output, good touch inside. Provided scoring punch but limited defensive consistency.
Derrick Chievous Developmental Wing / Slasher 19.0 Medium-Low 9.3 3.2 1.0 0.7 7.1 Rookie contributor; aggressive driver with streaky finishing. Moderate efficiency but promising physicality.
Purvis Short Bench Veteran / Scoring Depth 17.8 Medium-Low 7.4 2.8 1.6 0.9 6.4 Brought veteran scoring savvy off bench. Declining efficiency but situationally useful.
Tim McCormick Backup Center / Rebound Anchor 15.5 Low 5.2 3.2 0.7 0.5 4.8 Reliable minutes as backup big. Limited offense, decent rebound positioning.
Frank Johnson Reserve PG / Table Setter 13.1 Low 4.4 1.2 2.7 0.6 4.5 Short spurts as stabilizing ballhandler. Good free-throw efficiency and veteran presence.
Allen Leavell Depth Guard / Spot Minutes 11.4 Low 3.3 1.0 2.3 0.6 3.6 End-of-rotation creator. Playmaking instincts intact, shot fell off steeply.
Bernard Thompson End Bench / Defensive Plug 9.7 Low 2.7 1.2 0.6 1.2 2.8 Minimal minutes but active on defense; brought energy when called upon.
Tony Brown End Bench / Depth Shooter 6.5 Low 2.6 1.1 0.4 0.2 2.2 Deep bench wing with limited efficiency. Provided spacing in garbage time minutes.
Chuck Nevitt Deep Reserve / Locker Room Presence 5.3 Minimal 1.5 1.5 0.1 0.8 2.0 Third-string center used situationally. Rim protection flashes in limited action.