Will Pelicans Big Men Duo Join This List of NBA History’s Best?

#3 Hakeem Olajuwon & Ralph Sampson

This frontcourt may have had the most potential of any on this list. Sampson was one of the most highlighted touted college basketball players of all time, winning three College Player of the Year awards and standing 7-foot-4 while Olajuwon was one of the best NBA players of all time.

Injuries ultimately derailed Sampson’s career but not before him and Olajuwon became the first “Twin Towers” duo in NBA history. Both standing well over seven feet tall and defensively dominant, they averaged over 20 points per game, 10 rebounds per game, and 2 blocks per game in their first year together.

In their second season together they would make it all the way to the NBA Finals before losing to the Boston Celtics marking the duo’s last truly great season together.

In the following year, Sampson would be plagued with injuries and the Rockets would only win 42 games. In their final season together they would play less than 20 games together before Sampson was moved, never being the same player he was in his first few seasons.

The Pelicans now have nearly as much potential with Cousins and Davis as the Rockets once did with their frontcourt. The Rockets squeezed every ounce of potential out of their combo, can the Pelicans?