8 of 10 free throws + 10 of 12 free throws! The Rockets minimum-salary guard transformed into Harden? Stone picked up another success story

Okogie, the swingman who played for the Suns and Hornets last season, took the initiative to switch to the Houston Rockets during this offseason. After his contract expired, he became a free agent, and then reunited with his old teammate Durant in Houston. Now the two have joined forces again in the Rockets, and helped the Rockets win all four preseason games.

Compared with Durant who only played two games, Okogie can be said to have performed well in all 4 games, especially the 1st and 4th games. We know that the Rockets played the first and last games of the preseason against the Hawks. The difference is that the Rockets' first game was at home, and the last game, the 4th game, was away against the Hawks. In the 4th game, the Rockets sent out the remaining lineup, and 7 players got the opportunity to rest, of course, Okogie was not included.

Okogie has one stat that is particularly outstanding in these two games, and that is his ability to create fouls and get free throws. In the previous game between the Rockets and the Hawks, Okogie played as the team's starting small forward. In 32 minutes, he made 8 of 15 shots and 2 of 5 three-pointers. He scored 28 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals, with a plus-minus value of +14.

The 28 points are the second-highest score after Sheppard's 29 points. What's more worth mentioning is that as a forward, Okogie got 12 free throw opportunities in this game, and he hit 10 of them. Reminiscent of the Rockets' victory over the Hawks in the first game, Okogie also became a "free throw master" in the game. Okogie, who made his debut for the Rockets in that game, played as a shooting guard. Although he made 0 of 1 shots in 17 minutes, he won 10 free throw opportunities and hit 8 of them. He scored 8 points, 3 rebounds and 2 blocks.

In other words, in these two games against the Eagles, Okogie first got 10 free throw opportunities and hit 8 goals, and then got 12 free throw opportunities and hit 10 of them. Combined in the two games, Okogie made a total of 22 free throws and made 18 of them. His free throw shooting rate is quite high.

The Rockets had James Harden, known as the "Porcelain King". His signature skill was to win a large number of free throw opportunities by actively causing fouls. Coupled with Harden's free throw shooting rate of more than 80%, this made Harden one of the best in the league in terms of free throw scoring. Now Okogie has won 22 free throw opportunities in two games. Obviously, this shooting guard with a minimum salary seems to have transformed into "James Harden", the old Rockets player.

Although Okogie's independent scoring ability is average, he can defend the opponent's arrow figures on the outside, and can also be pulled outside to shoot three-pointers. He also has mid-range shooting and attack frame abilities. He is a very versatile forward, a bit like Mbah a Moute, the Rockets' basic-salary all-rounder back then, but he has much better physical fitness than Mbah a Moute, and he is also a few years younger than Mbah a Moute back then.

In terms of free throws and creating fouls, Okogie, at least in these two games against the Hawks, is indeed very like Harden. He can break through the basket and create fouls, and he can also actively attack the basket at the basket, and at the same time create fouls to win a lot of free throw opportunities.

And there is news from the Rockets that when Finney Smith cannot play due to injury, Okogie will play a more important role. In the four preseason games, this has been fully reflected. Okogie has indeed received a lot of ball rights and playing opportunities. Udoka also has great trust in this basic salary warrior who can attack well and defend well.

So, Manager Stone's "leaking out" during the offseason has added another successful case. Okogie signed with the Rockets with a basic salary. The Rockets have indeed made money from this signing. Judging from Okogie's performance in recent games, he is fully worthy of a contract with an annual salary of about 8 million.