The2001–02 Houston Rockets season was the 35th season for theHouston Rockets in theNational Basketball Association, and their 31st season inHouston, Texas.^[1] In the2001 NBA draft, the Rockets selected small forwardRichard Jefferson from theUniversity of Arizona with the thirteenth overall pick,^[2] but soon traded him to theNew Jersey Nets in exchange for power forward, and top draft pickEddie Griffin out ofSeton Hall University.^[3][4] During the off-season, the team acquired All-Star forwardGlen Rice from theNew York Knicks,^[5][6][7] and re-acquired former Rockets forwardKevin Willis from theMilwaukee Bucks.^[8]

In their first season since 1983–84 without All-Star centerHakeem Olajuwon, the Rockets got off to a 7–5 start to the regular season, but then suffered a dreadful 15-game losing streak. Rice only played just 20 games due to a knee injury,^[9] andMaurice Taylor missed the entire regular season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon.^[10][11] Due to injuries that hindered their roster for parts of the year, the Rockets played mediocre basketball all season long, losing 15 of their final 18 games, and finishing in fifth place in theMidwest Division with a disappointing 28–54 record.^[12]

Team captainSteve Francis averaged 21.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game, but only played 57 games, and starting 56 of them due to recurring foot injuries and migraines,^[13][14] whileCuttino Mobley led the team in scoring averaging 21.7 points and 1.5 steals per game, andKenny Thomas provided the team with 14.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. In addition,Walt Williams contributed 9.4 points per game, while Griffin averaged 8.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, and was named to theNBA All-Rookie Second Team. Meanwhile, Rice contributed 8.6 points per game,Moochie Norris provided with 8.1 points and 4.9 assists per game, andKelvin Cato averaged 6.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.^[15]

During theNBA All-Star weekend at theFirst Union Center inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, Francis was selected for the2002 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team; it was his first ever All-Star appearance.^[16][17][18] In addition, Francis also participated in theNBA Slam Dunk Contest for the second time.^[19][20]

Following the season, Williams signed as a free agent with theDallas Mavericks,^[21] and Willis signed with theSan Antonio Spurs.^[22][23]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	13	Richard Jefferson	SF	United States	Arizona
1	18	Jason Collins	C	United States	Stanford
1	23	Brandon Armstrong	SG	United States	Pepperdine

2001–02 Houston Rockets roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From G 10 Tierre Brown 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 189 lb (86 kg) McNeese State F/C 13 Kelvin Cato 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Iowa State C 52 Jason Collier 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Georgia Tech G 3 Steve Francis 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Maryland F/C 33 Eddie Griffin 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Seton Hall F 14 Dan Langhi 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Vanderbilt G/F 5 Cuttino Mobley 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Rhode Island F 44 Terence Morris 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 221 lb (100 kg) Maryland G 12 Moochie Norris 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) West Florida F 41 Glen Rice  6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Michigan F 21 Kenny Thomas 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 261 lb (118 kg) New Mexico G/F 18 Óscar Torres 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Xavier F/C 2 Maurice Taylor  (IN) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Michigan F 42 Walt Williams  6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 219 lb (99 kg) Maryland F/C 43 Kevin Willis 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Michigan State

Head coach Rudy Tomjanovich Assistant(s) Jim Boylen Larry Smith Mike Wells Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended (IN) Inactive Injured Roster

• Power forwardMaurice Taylor was on theinjured reserve list due to a ruptured Achilles tendon, and missed the entire regular season.

Player Statistics Citation:^[15]

• Eddie Griffin,NBA All-Rookie Team 2nd Team

• 2001–02 NBA season

• Houston Rockets seasons
• 2001–02 NBA season by team
• 2001 in sports in Texas
• 2002 in sports in Texas
• 2001 in Houston
• 2002 in Houston

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