As playoffs loom, Rockets start Josh Okogie ahead of Reed Sheppard
Ime Udoka on Houston’s fifth starter debate: “The playoffs will be matchup based, but we see what we like and don’t like with the units.”
Since Fred VanVleet tore the ACL in his right knee in September , the 2025-26 Houston Rockets have seen the fifth spot in their starting lineup become a revolving door. Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and Jabari Smith Jr. remain entrenched as starters, assuming health, and Ime Udoka has tried different options to surround that quartet.
With occasional exceptions for game matchup reasons, the majority of fifth-starter opportunities went to Josh Okogie during a two-month window from the Oct. 21 opener until Christmas. Then, from Christmas until mid-March, Tari Eason got the call.
And finally, from mid-March until mid-April, most starts went to Reed Sheppard. Now, with the 2026 playoffs only a week away, the Rockets (51-29, tied for No. 4 in Western Conference standings ) could be going back to where they started.
In Friday’s matchup versus the Timberwolves (47-33), Okogie got his second straight start. The 27-year-old, 6-foot-4 guard had 9 points (50. 0% FG) and 11 rebounds as a starter during Thursday’s victory over Philadelphia, and he earned postgame praise from Udoka for his defense and energy .