In an away match against the Suns, the Rockets choose 1 out of 2 starting lineups? Each of the two lineups has its own advantages, and the No. 2 position becomes a variable.

Facing the Suns, which has old players Dillon Brooks and Jaylen Green, the Rockets definitely want to win. But for the Suns, Dillon Brooks has already said that they also want to beat their old club, the Houston Rockets. It's just that Jaylen Green is injured now, and he has been determined to be unable to play in the game against the Rockets. The Rockets also have many core players including Durant unable to play. It can be said that both teams have important players missing, but the Rockets seem to have the advantage in overall strength.

Even if Durant takes a truce due to family reasons, the Rockets can still field a pretty good starting lineup. For this away game against the Suns, the Rockets are obviously well prepared. The Rockets will play away games in the next four games. I believe Uduka and his players are ready to meet the challenge. The Rockets are such a team. The more critical the moment, the more they play with a broken formation, the more they can stimulate their fighting spirit.

Durant is away, VanVleet is out for the season due to injury, and the two core forwards, Ethan and Finney Smith, are also unable to play due to injuries, but the Rockets can still come up with two starting lineups for Udoka to choose from. The Rockets are likely to continue to use the twin-tower lineup in the next game, which means there should be no suspense about their starting positions in the two interior positions: Adams is the center and Shen Jing is the power forward. The small forward position is still Jabari Smith Jr., and he performed quite well at this position. At the point guard position, Amen Thompson will definitely hold the ball and organize the offense.

The variable is position 2, which is the shooting guard position. If the Rockets want to improve their perimeter defense and limit the shooting and scoring of Dillon Brooks and Booker, then returning Okogie to the starting lineup should be an excellent choice. Because Okogie is a swingman, it makes more sense for him to match up with the Suns' No. 2 scorer, Dillon Brooks. Okogie can shoot three-pointers, and he is also a player who can defend the opponent's scoring arrow. While Amen Thompson is guarding Booker, Okogie can create huge problems for Dillon Brooks with his own defense.

However, if the Rockets want to improve the offensive firepower of the starting lineup, improve their three-point shooting, and open up more space, then sending 21-year-old shooter Shepard seems to be a more reasonable choice. Because Sheppard is far better than Okogie in series offense this season. He is a versatile defender and his three-point shooting rate this season is close to 50%, which Okogie cannot compare with. Recently, Shepard has been able to get playing time in the game that is not inferior to that of the starting players, and can play about 25 to 35 minutes in each game, while Okogie's playing time has now been severely reduced.

Therefore, if the Rockets want to improve their backcourt organizational skills, improve their outside shooting, and improve their space attributes, then Shepard is a far better candidate for the starting No. 2 position than Okogie. Therefore, the Rockets can definitely choose one of these two starting lineups. With the other four positions basically clear, Okogie and Sheppard each have their own specialties, allowing Uduka to deploy them at will. If the Rockets want to improve their outside defense, there is no doubt that Okogie will start; if the Rockets want to improve their offensive firepower on the outside, then Shepard is expected to enter the starting lineup for the first time this season.