Should Suns Start/Bench Josh Okogie?

The Phoenix Suns should not start Josh Okogie, according to Bleacher Report.

PHOENIX -- "When everybody is healthy for the Phoenix Suns" is starting to sound more like wishful thinking here in the Valley, though the team is expected to see their big three of Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant on the floor tonight for the first time all season. 

When the Suns are fully healthy, really the only spot in the lineup that is up for debate is on the wing next to Durant. Names such as Josh Okogie and Keita Bates-Diop have rotated in the lineup as Phoenix head coach Frank Vogel figures what puzzle pieces work best. 

Essentially, it's a two-horse race for the fifth spot in Phoenix, though Bleacher Report says Okogie simply shouldn't start. 

"While it's been tricky to get a good grasp on the Suns given their early injury issues, one thing is clear: The debate over who should fill the fifth starter spot is ongoing," wrote Zach Buckley. 

"Josh Okogie has had the most opportunities to secure the role, but he's yet to make them count. The idea is essentially that Phoenix has enough offensive firepower between Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal (and Jusuf Nurkić if you're feeling generous toward the big fella) to live with Okogie's shortcomings at that end. If he played even passable offense, it just might work.

"The fact he's listed here shows he's fallen beneath that bar. His 41.1 field-goal percentage is forgettable, and his 17.4 three-point percentage is objectively awful. He's at least making his foul shots (89.7 percent) and close-range chances (73.7 percent inside of three feet), but he's still a negative presence on that end who prevents the Suns from doing what they're built to do best."

Okogie could best utilized as a defensive stop-gap in a star-studded lineup that specializes in scoring, though Bates-Diop's length doesn't exactly work against him. 

"Whoever Vogel starts with 7-footer Jusuf Nurkic, Booker, Durant and Beal will probably be the one the T-Wolves give open shots," said the AZ Republic's Duane Rankin.

"Keita Bates-Diop might be ideal because he can hit 3s and has some size to help defend Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns likes to play on the perimeter, especially with T-Wolves' center Rudy Gobert spending most his time in the lane."

For as good as Okogie is defensively, he'll be counted on to hit open shots, which is something he's done on an inconsistent basis at best. 

Starter or not, Okogie will be called upon to make an impact by Vogel, though it's clear his status as a starter will strictly be limited to matchups, especially if he can't hold up his end of the bargain on offense.