The Houston Rockets currently hold these 3 single-season records

Josh Paredes

Houston Rockets James Harden Russell Westbrook (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

The Houston Rockets have etched themselves into NBA history in many ways throughout the years and currently hold three single-season records in particular.

From setting franchise records recently to setting NBA records, the Houston Rockets have entered their name in basketball history books many times throughout their existence. Of course, having players like James Harden, Hakeem Olajuwon and Moses Malone on your side will do that.

While the Rockets hold multiple all-time records such as for most blocks (Hakeem) and most offensive rebounds (Malone), there are actually a few regular-season records currently held by a Rocket as well.

Here are three single-season records held by a member of the franchise as of 2020:

1. Most Turnovers in a Season

Well, not all records are positive. Looking strictly at the numbers, James Harden and Russell Westbrook own the top five spots when it comes to individual turnovers in a single season.

Harden (2017) – 464
Westbrook (2017) – 438
Harden (2019) – 387
Westbrook (2018) – 381
Harden (2016) – 374

While that may look bad, an important thing to keep in mind is the usage rate of both superstars. It’s hard to find anyone that’s ever been relied upon more than James and Russell have been for the Rockets and Thunder over the past few years.

As a result, the majority of the team’s turnovers are committed by their star, but it doesn’t necessarily translate to the team struggling as a whole when it comes to giving the ball away.

In 2019, Houston was in the top six in the league in turnovers per game despite Harden’s 387. In 2018, Oklahoma City was tied for 13th in the league when it came to limiting turnovers, even though Westbrook was responsible for 381 alone.

When it comes to their first season together, Harden is second only to Trae Young this season when it comes to total turnovers, with 273 to Young’s 289. Westbrook is fifth in the league, three behind LeBron James with 236.

Still, the Rockets are right in the middle of the pack in turnovers per game, sitting at 15th with 14.7 per. While it doesn’t look great on paper, fortunately, this statistic hasn’t shown that it affects the overall success of the respective teams.

Next: No. 2

2. Most Threes Attempted in a Season

Much has been made about how much the Houston Rockets have loved the 3-point shot in recent years. As a team, they’ve led the NBA in outside attempts in every season since Mike D’Antoni took over the team in 2016-17 and were leading this season before play was halted.

It’s no surprise, then, that the record for most 3-point attempts in a single season is held by none other than James Harden. Previously, Harden’s personal high for shots from beyond the arc in one season was 756 in 2016-17.

That number is still seventh all-time, just one attempt short of Paul George‘s 2018-19 season. That season, James obliterated the existing record for attempted threes, being the first and only player to ever attempt over 1,000 in a season.

Through 78 games played, Harden put up 1,028 outside shots, which is 142 more than the second-placed Stephen Curry, who had 886 in 2015-16. Still, his percentage of 36.8 percent allowed for just 1,134 points from threes as opposed to Curry’s 1,206.

This season, Harden had already put up 769 threes in his 61 games played, which was on pace for 995 if he had gone on to play the rest of the games left in the season.

Is putting up so many threes a concern? Maybe for some teams. With the way the Rockets’ roster has been built though, especially after trading away Clint Capela, this is exactly the way this team has to play to give themselves a chance.

Next: No. 3

3. Most Offensive Rebounds in a Season

When you take a look at offensive rebounding numbers in NBA history, it’s staggering how dominant Moses Malone was throughout his career. Breaking it down by most offensive rebounds in a single season, he occupies the top three spots and five of the seven best offensive rebounding seasons ever.

Malone’s record of 587 rebounds in the 1978-79 season has been untouchable for decades and will probably never be eclipsed. We’re talking about having to average over seven offensive rebounds per game, assuming you’re healthy enough to play all 82.

The only player that has come close to averaging seven rebounds per game was Jayson Williams in the 1997-98 season with the New Jersey Nets, when he averaged 6.8 over 65 games played.

When it comes to the overall single-season record of 587, the closest anyone came to that number was Moses again the following season, with 573.

Breaking it down by NBA career, Malone finished with 6,731 offensive boards. That’s more than Kevin Garnett (3,209) and David Robinson (3,083) combined. It’s also over 2,100 more than anyone else in the league ever tallied, with Robert Parish being second all-time at 4,598.

The only active players in the top 15 in offensive rebounds currently are former Rocket Dwight Howard (3,827) and current Rocket Tyson Chandler (3,529), who likely won’t see much playing time unless he’s moved to another team.

It’s safe to say the Chairman of the Boards has a few records that will last for at least another decade or two.

Josh Paredes

Josh Paredes is the NBA Content Director for FanSided. He has been overseeing all NBA sites in the network since achieving that position in August 2022. His specialty lies with his hometown San Antonio Spurs, but he has written extensively about the Philadelphia 76ers and Houston Rockets in the past. His social media content has been featured on outlets like ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, and Sports Illustrated. He's been closely following the San Antonio Spurs since 1997. In his spare time, he enjoys laughing at bad movies with his wife over a bottle of red wine.