Josh Okogie's NBA path has been anything but typical. He was a first round pick in 2018, immediately made an impact with the Wolves, then somewhat quickly flamed out with the Suns and Hornets, and before the 2025-26 season, didn't seem to have much interest league-wide despite being just 27 years old.
The Houston Rockets took a chance on the former Wolves defensive stopper, and they've already been rewarded for that confidence in Okogie. He's not posting guady numbers (7.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists) but he's become an integral part of the Rockets' defensive identity, and he's hit his shots when needed. Next to the scoring upside of Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun, and the budding playmaking of Amen Thompson, Okogie is the gap-filler that glues talented teams together.
Whether Okogie will remain an everyday lineup piece with the Rockets when Dorian Finney-Smith is back healthy remains to be seen, but at the very least, Okogie has put his name back on the NBA map this season. For a guy who was a solid piece for the Wolves for many years, I think most fans in Minnesota are happy to see him succeeding!
Josh Okogie is back on track with the Houston Rockets
Often, the NBA doesn't make much sense. Okogie is a good example of that. He was never unplayably bad, and now that he's found a role with a contending team, it seems really obvious. It seems like we should have known that all along!
I'm not saying Okogie should still be on the Wolves (they have plenty of Josh Okogie-esque players on the roster as is, and he was essentially out of the rotation by his final year with the team) but in retrospect, it seems crazy that Okogie was really close to not being on a team at all in 2025-26 — and is now a key contributor on perhaps the second-best team in the West.
Alas, so many teams overthink in this league. So when a team doesn't overthink, they look genius. Right now, the Rockets deserve props for bringing Okogie in on a minimum deal, setting clear guidelines on what they need from him, and letting him maximize the skills he does have and not be forced into a role that doesn't fit him.