Rockets are learning a harsh Josh Okogie truth no one wants to accept

As the Houston Rockets have gotten off to an excellent, 12-4 start to the season, one of their most surprising developments has been the role that veteran guard Josh Okogie has played, taking on vital minutes for the team in the absence of starting point guard Fred VanVleet.

Yet, as his offensive production begins to wane, it is clear that he may not be meant to be a long-term, dependable contributor on that end of the court, and, the sooner the Rockets realize that, the sooner they will be able to tweak their rotation accordingly.

After starting off the season hot, Okogie has averaged just 3.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists while shooting 25% from 3-point range over his last five games. Therefore, while his early-season performance was a pleasant surprise, it may be time for Houston to begin to think about the viability of another configuration of the starting lineup.

Josh Okogie may be better-suited for a bench role as the season wears on

When VanVleet went down prior to the start of the season, everything was turned on its head for the Rockets. While their backcourt depth was already questionable prior to the injury, it became a seriously emerging limitation given both Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard's lack of experience taking on heavy minutes at point guard.

Yet, no one expected Okogie, who signed for a minimum contract this past offseason, to make the impact he did early on in the season.

After head coach Ime Udoka decided to move away from starting the double-big lineup, Okogie took on a role next to Thompson in the backcourt, averaging 7.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting 46.7% from beyond the arc in the first nine games he started for the team.

Yet, as is the natural course of many surprising breakouts, Okogie's production has mellowed out quite a bit, begging a serious question. Should he still be a starter for the Rockets as the season continues?

He does provide a defensive skill-set that Sheppard does not, and it is possible that he is merely experiencing a slow shooting stretch that will correct itself in the next couple of games. However, his 30.4% career mark from 3-point range does not bode positively, and the team must accept the reality that, while an important contributor, Okogie's early-season performance could have merely been a mirage.

The good thing is that the Rockets and Udoka have enough versatility that they are not dependent upon Okogie to maintain what he did through his first 10 games. Aaron Holiday has played excellently in Tari Eason's absence, and it appears as though Sheppard is becoming more confident with each game he plays.

Nevertheless, losing Okogie's 3-point shot would be a major blow to the team, and Houston must quickly determine how they want to configure their rotation if Okogie is truly a liability on the offensive end of the floor.