Rockets have made their stance on former G-League MVP crystal clear

As the Houston Rockets have now played through their first five games, it appears as though they have found a rotational balance, moving Steven Adams out of the starting lineup and finding offensive success with the smaller look they have put forward over their past three games.

Yet, in the process, reigning G-League MVP, who looked excellent in the preseason and seemed like he had a real shot at cracking the rotation when the regular season began, has appeared in just two games so far, and his appearances being limited to only garbage time has made the organization's stance on his role crystal clear.

Although Houston does have a lack of depth in their backcourt, and could use an additional scoring punch at the end of the bench, the ascendance of Okogie has effectively left Davison in the dust, and, so far, there has been no indication that there are more minutes for him to claim.

JD Davison may be left out of the rotation this year despite lofty expectations

When starting point guard Fred VanVleet went down late in the offseason with a devastating ACL injury, it quickly became clear that there would be previously unforeseen opportunities in the team's backcourt.

Although Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard were expected to take over starting duties, their inconsistencies and their flaws leave a pretty clear void to be filled for a dependable, 10-15 minute per game guard to carve out a consistent role.

While Aaron Holiday took on this role last season, Davison had a serious candidacy as well heading into this campaign. Davison appeared in all four of the Rockets' preseason games, averaging 21 minutes and posting 10.5, 2.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 47.1% from 3-point range.

Although he is a relatively turnover-prone player, Davison certainly has the capacity to provide an extra offensive layer to a team's rotation, being both a capable perimeter shooter and a dynamic passer.

However, through this early stretch of the season, Okogie has ascended into the starting role and has played excellently. So far, Okogie is averaging 10 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting an astounding 60% from 3-point range and playing impactful and energetic defense.

Meanwhile, Davison's minutes have been limited just to the end of the two games in which Houston has blown out their opponents, entering the game with players such as Jeff Green and Jae'Sean Tate.

While this does not guarantee that there will not be a role for a player like Davison or Holiday at some point this season, head coach Ime Udoka has, to this point, held his main rotation to nine players, and there has been no indication that he will be willing to go deeper than that under normal circumstances.

Therefore, as promising as Davison looked in the preseason, it appears as though he has been relegated to the fringes yet again.