Rockets' 2019-20 roster and projected starting lineup: James Harden, Russell Westbrook lead re-tooled supporting cast

The Houston Rockets are taking ball-dominance to a new level. A year after James Harden posted the highest scoring average since Michael Jordan in 1986-87, Houston added Russell Westbrook to give themselves the two highest-usage guards in all of basketball. They won 65 games during the 2017-18 season by relying on Harden and Chris Paul dominating in isolation, which then dropped to 53 wins during the 2018-19 campaign, but adding Westbrook takes things to a whole new level.

Fortunately, they are flanked by a roster that was tailor-made to support two superstars of their ilk. Eric Gordon can handle the ball when necessary, but he is a career 37.4 percent three-point shooter on almost nine attempts per game as a Rocket. P.J. Tucker is among the best defenders in all of basketball and Clint Capela will pick up plenty of easy points on lobs for Houston’s two leaders.

Their bench features several returning pieces such as Gerald Green, Austin Rivers and Danuel House, but also includes some notable risks on former lottery picks. Anthony Bennett has not played in the NBA since January of 2017, but the former No. 1 overall pick parlayed strong shooting in the G-League into a chance with the Rockets. Ben McLemore, another former lottery pick, will fight for minutes off of the bench as well. Tyson Chandler was their most notable veteran addition, and he should be able to match Capela’s playing style in limited minutes.

SportsLine currently projects the Rockets to win 49.2 games, the fourth-most in the Western Conference, so they should be in contention for the championship when spring rolls around. Ahead of the 2019-20 season, here’s a look at the Rockets’ roster and projected starting lineup as things stand.