Ralph Sampson doesn’t need much time to imagine what Hakeem Olajuwon would do in today’s NBA. In his mind, the answer is simple.
“He would score 50 points a night. Easily. Who’s going to guard him?”
That was the former Rockets big man’s response when Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson asked what Olajuwon would look like in the modern game. Sampson’s view comes from a very specific place: he and Olajuwon once formed Houston’s “Twin Towers,” a two-7-footer pairing that gave the league fits in the mid-1980s.
Robinson pushed the conversation toward the current game, asking whether a modern version of that kind of frontcourt could still survive in a league built around spacing, switching and nonstop three-point shooting. The question gets to the heart of what many teams worry about now - whether two traditional big men can stay on the floor when defenses switch everything and try to expose slower defenders.
Sampson wasn’t interested in entertaining the doubt.
“Nobody would have stopped myself and Hakeem Olajuwon,” he said.
That confidence makes more sense when you think about what those two actually were. Sampson, listed at 7-foot-4, wasn’t just a rim-bound post player.
He could handle the ball, step out and shoot, and make passes like a forward. Olajuwon brought even more mobility, moving with the footwork of a much smaller player thanks in part to his soccer background.
His “Dream Shake” became one of the most copied moves in basketball history.
Robinson put it bluntly: “Yeah, because Hakeem played like a guard.”
That’s the core of the argument. In a league where defenses switch nearly every screen and offenses go hunting for mismatches, two bigs who can move in space and create off the dribble don’t look outdated. They look dangerous.
The two carried Houston all the way to the 1986 NBA Finals, beating the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals before losing to the Boston Celtics.
Robinson then asked whether any team or any player could even come close to what the Twin Towers offered. Sampson first answered in terms of his former teammate alone.
“No. Hakeem Dream is one of the greatest centers to ever play the game.”
The numbers support that kind of praise. Olajuwon won championships in 1994 and 1995, took home Finals MVP both times, won the 1994 MVP award and finished his career as the NBA’s all-time leader in blocked shots.
When Robinson narrowed the question back to the pair as a unit, Sampson was just as direct.
“No,” he said. “I think we were dominant in our era, and if we stayed healthy, we would have dominated back then.”
That last part matters. Sampson’s knees and back never held up the way Houston needed, and the Rockets traded him to the Golden State Warriors in December 1987. The partnership ended after only a few seasons, leaving behind one of the NBA’s great what-if stories.
Still, Sampson’s belief in what the duo could have been - and what Olajuwon would be now - never really wavered. In his view, the league may have changed, but the problem those two posed would still be the same.
In Other News...
Rockets Roster Crunch Just Put More Young Players On Notice
The roster squeeze in Houston is already taking shape, and it has pushed three young players off the NBA side of the ledger before the 2026-2027 season even gets underway. Bryce Harris, Cameron Matthews and Caleb McConnell were all waived after signing Exhibit 10 contracts, a reminder of how quickly the margins tighten when a team is trying to balance established talent with developmental depth.
For now, the likeliest landing spot for all three is the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, where the Rockets have long used their G League affiliate as the next stop for players on the fringe of the big club. With Houstons current roster built around more established names, immediate openings are scarce, which makes the path back to an NBA role far more complicated than simply staying in camp and waiting for a break. [Read more 🡒]
Rockets Have A Shooting Flier Worth Watching If Lakers Slip Up
If the Lakers end up moving on from Dalton Knecht, the Rockets look like a natural team to keep on that situation. Houston has an open two-way roster spot, and that kind of flexibility matters when a wing with real shooting pop suddenly becomes available. Knecht entered the league with a first-round pedigree, and his rookie season offered a glimpse of why teams around the league still view him as a worthwhile developmental swing.
For Houston, the appeal is straightforward: a 6-foot-6 perimeter player who can space the floor and fit into a young roster without demanding a major commitment. The Rockets have been patient about adding talent through value chances like this, and Knecht would give them another shot at a wing who already flashed enough touch to keep scouts interested. The question now is whether the Lakers actually make him available, because if they do, Houston would have a clean path to pounce. [Read more 🡒]
Kevin Durant Drama Just Put Houston's Bigger Concern In Focus
Kevin Durants latest dust-up with Suns owner Mat Ishbia was the kind of off-court flare-up that travels fast, especially when a former star and a team executive start trading barbs in public. Ishbias comments about defining Phoenixs culture after Durants departure set off the exchange, and it served as a reminder that Durants time in Houston is already being viewed through more than just the lens of what he brings on the floor.
For the Rockets, the real concern is bigger than one viral moment. Durant still profiles as a major on-court piece after averaging 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists last season, and Houston has several other players expected to matter this year. But the long view is where this gets interesting, especially with his player option for the 2027-28 season lingering as a storyline, since he has not stayed with one team for more than three seasons since leaving Oklahoma City. [Read more 🡒]