Ranking the 10 best passers in Houston Rockets history

3 of 7

Houston Rockets Kyle Lowry Kevin Martin (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

8. Kyle Lowry

Before Kyle Lowry became the face of the Toronto Raptors and an NBA Champion, the Philadelphia native spent a handful of seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets.

Under Head Coach Rick Adelman, Lowry broke through from a bench role to an NBA starter in the 2010-11 season, starting in 71 games and increasing his assists per game from 4.5 the previous year to 6.7.

Since then, the 6-foot guard has made six consecutive NBA All-Star appearances and has become one of the best active point guards in the game. Lowry has gotten better and better at dishing the rock with each team he’s spent time with.

From 3.6 assists per game with Memphis to 5.6 with Houston and ultimately 7.1 currently with Toronto, Lowry would likely have ended up in the top five of this list if he was able to stay in Houston.

Kyle finished his Rockets career with 1,212 assists at a rate of 5.6 per game, which is tied with Tracy McGrady for the seventh-best rate in team history.

Houston Rockets Kenny Smith (Photo by PAUL BUCK/AFP via Getty Images) /

7. Kenny Smith

The countdown of NBA champions continues with The Jet. Beginning his career with the Sacramento Kings, Kenny Smith wasted no time showing the world he was an exceptional passer.

In his first two seasons with the Kings, Smith averaged 7.4 assists per game before being traded to the Atlanta Hawks. After coming off the bench in Atlanta, Kenny would become the starting point guard for the Rockets for the next six years, ending up with two rings to show for his time in Houston.

While his shining moment was a Game 1 performance that included seven made threes including one to send the game into overtime, his ability to find the open man was crucial for the team’s playoff success.

In @budweiserusa #LegendaryMoments history, we showcase Kenny Smith’s 7-three performance in Game 1 of the 1995 #NBAFinals! Who do you have in Game 5 tomorrow…@HoustonRockets or @warriors? pic.twitter.com/0KsAkGYVVC

— NBA (@NBA) May 7, 2019

The Jet finished his career with 4,073 total assists, with 2,457 of them being in Houston, and is currently sixth all-time in assists for the Rockets.

Next: No. 6 & No. 5