The Houston Rockets were one of the more active teams this past offseason. Not only did they pull off the blockbuster deal of the summer by adding Kevin Durant, they also extended virtually half of their
roster in Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith Jr., Aaron Holiday, Jeff Green, and Jae’Sean Tate.
General Manager Rafael Stone also added Dorian Finney-Smith, who we haven’t seen yet, and Clint Capela, who hasn’t looked great thus far.
The last pickup was Josh Okogie, who wasn’t expected to garner a large role for the team. The assumption was that Okogie would be an end of the bench player who’d play on back-to-back nights, when the starters rest.
Or a player who’d get in the game when it had already been decided.
Which is why eyes and ears perked up when Rockets coach Ime Udoka inserted Okogie into the starting lineup against the Brooklyn Nets.
Okogie has remained a starter ever since, and for good reason.
He understands his role and plays it to perfection.
He’s an absolute menace on defense. And that feels like an understatement.
He’s been suffocating opponents.
Offensively, he’s been shooting lights out, especially from long-range. On the year, Okogie has made 63.6 percent of his shot attempts and 60 percent of his 3-pointers (on three attempts per contest).
His efficiency has been off the charts, to the tune of 86.1 percent true shooting and 84.1 percent effective field goal splits.
He’s averaging 10 points on just 4.4 shots per contest in 22.6 minutes of action.
He picks his spots on the floor to perfection and he plays within the flow of the offense. In other words, he doesn’t take bone-headed, ill-advised shots.
He’s also been very underrated as a screen-setter.
And speaking of underrated, he’s got some good playmaking ability as well.
All told, Okogie has been a stellar addition by the Rockets’ front office. He’s certainly been better than anyone could’ve anticipated.
And he’s only on the vet minimum (which will certainly not be the case for long, if he keeps this up).
