Top 10 Rockets “Could Have Beens”: #5 - John Lucas

John Lucas was drafted with the first overall draft pick by the Houston Rockets in the 1976 NBA Draft, and they had their eye on the highly talented All-American out of Maryland as major piece to put alongside Calvin Murphy. When they then traded for Moses Malone at the beginning of the 1976 season, the team thought they might have a championship core in place.

And at first, Lucas appeared as if he might live up to the billing. He averaged 11.1 points, 5.6 assists, and 1.5 steals his rookie season and shot 47.7 percent from the field. He followed that up with a sophomore year that saw his line jump up to 12.4 points, 9.4 assists, and 2.0 steals per game.

To the outside observer, Lucas was…