Rockets 2022-2023 player previews: Tari Eason

Tari Jordan Eason, Tari to us, Jordan to family and friends and Peso to @teroyaeason, his mother. She’s hilarious, witty, knowledgable about basketball, and pretty much a “must follow” for Rockets fans. (I’m wondering if she’s discovering just how different Houston is from Baton Rouge...)

Tari, saying little himself, has continued from where he left off Vegas Summer League.

As of now, in preseason with essentially no plays or looks set up for him, Eason can boast the following: 20.7 points, on 64% shooting, and 44% from three, 10 rebounds (30 total, 14 offensive) and 1.7 steals.

In 24 minutes per game.

Rockets fans, at this point, must be feeling very fortunate that Eason feel to the Houston Rockets at #17. Watching him play so far, it’s shocking, and wonderful, he fell to that spot. There had been knocks against Eason. He’d transferred to LSU from Cincinnati, and he hadn’t started for LSU. There were concerns about his shot. There were concerns about his basketball IQ. Concerns about his ability to adapt his game to the NBA.

Most of those concerns look a bit silly right now. Of course the NBA won’t be Summer League, or even the pre-season, but it’s hard to imagine Eason not being at least a good NBA player at this point. He’s seemingly everywhere on defense, he has a preternatural feel for offensive rebounding. He plays hard, he plays tough, he’s willing to share the ball, and if he gets time to shoot the 3pt shot, it seems to go in. Eason attacks the basket, and can seemingly adjust in mid-air to finish the shot with either hand. His dunks are ferocious.

At 6’8”, 220lbs, with long arms, he’s a perfect swingman. I’d predict he’s the Rockets starting small forward sooner rather than later (though KJ Martin Jr is showing some fight there as well). It’s easy to see how he’d fit in “smallball” lineups with either him, or Jabari Smith at center.

Rockets assistant coach John Lucas, who knows whereof he speaks, compared Eason to Dennis Rodman, but with a better shot. Dennis Rodman with a jump shot is a prospect that should delight the Rockets, and terrify everyone else.

Right now, it’s fairly difficult to find enough superlatives, and also difficult to find fault. If I have one criticism, Eason’s shot mechanics can hopefully be improved. The windup is slow, and the shot itself is drawn out, with kind of a hitch in it. That said, so far it’s going in the basket, and the Rockets, with their best lineups on the floor, are probably going to provide open looks to Eason as opponents pick their poison.

If believe what you’re seeing from Eason is real, and you’re the sort of person who enjoys a wager, consider this one:

Tari Eason - 2022 NBA Rookie of The Year +6000. That means a $20 bet returns $1200.00. You can spend $20 on a cocktail with artisanal bitters.

Here’s a fun game: which college player is which, per 100 possessions?

1. Ortg: 114 Drtg: 98
2. Ortg: 127 Drtg: 79
3. Ortg: 116 Drtg: 90
4. Ortg: 119 Drtg: 83

1 is Paolo Banchero, 2 is Chet Holmgren, 3 is Jabari Smith, 4 is Tari Eason.

This should be a fun season for Tari Jordan “Peso” Eason and the Rockets.