“I know Josh (Okogie) like the back of my hand,” Rockets star Kevin Durant says of his longtime teammate. “I feel like this environment is perfect for him.”
HOUSTON — To start the first two games of Houston’s 2025-26 regular season, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka deployed his “double big” lineup featuring Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams.
By increasing the size of the starting unit, Udoka believed this gave his team the best chance to win games with point guard Fred VanVleet out due to injury. It allowed more shot attempts for All-Star forward Kevin Durant, all while the likes of Sengun, Adams, Jabari Smith Jr., and Amen Thompson could rebound and crash the offensive glass for second-chance points.
What Udoka may not have anticipated was that having a player consistently in the paint, such as Adams, often creates congestion in areas where Durant likes to operate. That much became clear after the Rockets started 0-2.
Before Monday’s matchup with the Brooklyn Nets, Udoka inserted reserve guard Josh Okogie into the lineup. That changed seemed to spark the offense and helped Houston secure its first win of the season with a 137-109 blowout victory.
After playing together for multiple seasons with the Phoenix Suns, Okogie familiarity with Durant’s style of play also played a role in Udoka giving the eight-year veteran a starting spot.
“It helped out a lot,” Durant said. “I know Josh like the back of my hand. Playing with him the last two years in Phoenix, I know exactly his mindset out there. He is a hard-nosed, pick-you-up 94-feet type of guy. He is a drive-and-close-out, make-the-right-type-of-play finisher (at) the rim. I feel like this environment is perfect for him.”
Houston acquired Okogie this past offseason, signing him to a one-year deal. His tenacious defense and improving 3-point shot have helped Okogie become a more efficient offensive player, which changed the flow of the game versus Brooklyn and allowed Houston’s starters to pick up the pace.
After finishing with an abysmal 15 assists in a loss to the Detroit Pistons late last week, Okogie’s presence helped set the pace for a season-high 33 assists. Houston entered the game ranked 26th in the NBA in that category.
“It is always a good thing when a coaching staff has trust in you to go in there and do a particular job, and I was just happy that we were able to get out there and get a win,” Okogie told Rockets Wire postgame.
Now 27 years old, the former Georgia Tech guard has averaged 9.3 points in 22.7 minutes of action this season. Albeit in a limited sample, he continues to show improvement from 3-point range, where he has connected on 4-of-7 shots (57.1%).
With their first win now in the books, the Rockets will head out on a brief road trip to face the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night and the Boston Celtics — Udoka’s former team — on Saturday. While the head coach hasn’t tipped his hand regarding whether Okogie will stay in the starting lineup, his performance Monday certainly didn’t hurt his chances.
