Tari Eason evens things out

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While I did not go into this week intending to hone in on the Rockets, it felt karmically retributive to balance the scales by writing something a bit more positive after my beheading of Jalen Green on Wednesday. Moreover, I just couldn’t continue to selfishly hoard my joy over watching Tari Eason play basketball. So, for the sake of both my soul and the Rockets' defense, I present to you Tari Eason—balancing both karma and net ratings alike.

For those unfamiliar with Eason, he’s a third-year forward out of LSU—via Cincinnati, where he spent a year at each—who is in the midst of one of the NBA’s least talked-about glow-ups early in the season. Eason entered the ‘22 draft process as a bit of a project, with rebounding and defensive upside that paired well with his athleticism and size. However, questions about his shooting—he shot just 32.7% on low volume from three in his two college seasons—and his ability to process the game led to a slight fall in the draft to Houston at number 17.

In his rookie season, Eason impressed, playing well enough to be named to the All-Rookie Second Team. But after surgery for a benign growth on his shin robbed him of all but the first 22 games of last season, Eason fell off the radar for many. With the Rockets’ depth of young talent meaning opportunities shift to the next man up quickly, he didn’t exactly leave an unfilled hole when he went down. So, to start this year, there were questions about how much Eason would see the floor. But we all should have known better; Eason’s bullish defensive play seems tailor-made for Head Coach Ime Udoka. And after breaking out offensively with a career-high 27 points against Golden State in a loss to start November, Eason has gone from question mark to exclamation point.

Since that game, Eason has been cooking. Over Houston’s last eight—a stretch where the Rockets are 6-2—Eason is averaging 25.7 minutes, 14.9 points on 55.6% shooting, 6.6 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game. This career-best stretch set aside, for the season, Eason is putting up impressive numbers across the board.

Where the discussion about Green centered on his lack of evident improvement, we are watching Eason blossom before our eyes. While career highs don’t mean much in just your third season—particularly in Eason’s case because of how much time he missed last year—it’s where those career highs are coming from that’s so exciting. So, let’s eschew the counting stats for now. Eason is shooting a career-best 55% from the floor while expanding his range further from the basket. His average shot distance has increased from 9.2 feet in his rookie season to 10.4 feet this year. He has also improved his three-point shooting from 34.3% on 2.1 attempts per game to 36.4% on 2.8 attempts. Additionally, he is shooting a career-best 62.8% on twos, well above the league average of 54.1%. These aren’t massive leaps, but for a player whose pedigree wasn’t built on offensive contributions, Eason has undeniably become an additive player on that end.

There’s an odd elegance in the stylistic parsimony of Eason’s game. While many players in the league—Green included—string together combinations like your little brother hammering buttons in Tekken, Eason is a straight-line driver. He might give you a pivot move or a spin, but don’t expect any isolation creation here. Of his 960 career field goal attempts, only 29 (3%) have come after seven or more dribbles. For comparison, Rockets center Alperen Şengün has 29 such shots since the start of last season.

In terms of shot selection, Eason must have thoroughly read the organizational handbook because there is no midrange game to speak of—it’s open threes or shots at the rim. Per Cleaning the Glass, 52% of Eason’s shots come at the rim, while 30% are from beyond the arc. This isn’t surprising, as midrange play typically requires on-ball creation, so Eason being in the 19th percentile in terms of total percentage of shots from midrange tracks.

Eason’s shot chart this season

Eason’s offensive responsibilities couldn’t be more simplified if Ime Udoka drew them up on an Etch-A-Sketch: stand in the corner and be ready to knock down open shots, float into open space on the backside, or make opportunistic cuts.

Given what I’ve heard about Eason’s struggles with concepts, this simplification is likely why he’s been able to stay on the floor. To his credit, Eason’s executing his role at such a high level that he’s earned minutes in critical moments. Since the start of his recent tear eight games ago, Eason is second on the Rockets in total fourth-quarter minutes and has closed multiple games.

Clearly, I’m burying the lead though, hoping my metrics show at least a 60% read rate for this piece. Because what Eason is doing this season defensively is insane. The term "octopus" is often used to describe players whose hands seem to be everywhere. For Eason, with massive mitts and arms that appear hinged to other arms (7’2” wingspan), the mythical Kraken seems a more fitting avatar. Eason isn’t inserted into the game to be your new best friend or teacher—he’s summoned to wreak havoc.

Per Cleaning the Glass, Eason ranks in the 100^th and 98^th percentiles in block percentage and steal percentage, at 2.7% and 3.2%, respectively. I can’t overemphasize how often Eason gets his hands on the ball defensively. He is currently one of just two players in the NBA averaging at least 1.8 steals and 1.2 blocks, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being the other. And Eason is accomplishing this in 10 fewer minutes per game than Shai! Additionally, Eason’s steals per game are fourth in the league, even though the only player in the top 35 to play less minutes per game is Alex Caruso. Meanwhile, he’s 24th in blocks per game at 1.2, with only Daniel Gafford and Donovan Clingan—yeah, of the franchise record-setting 8 blocks this past Wednesday—playing less minutes than Eason.

One of my favorite elements of Eason’s defensive attack is his relentlessness. Often, he seems out of a play or beaten, only to bust his ass and use his Go-Go-Gadget arms for a steal or block. Watch the way he recovers to block this Jonathan Kuminga drive.

Or how he gets a contest on the chasedown here against OG

An impressive athlete in terms of both fast-twitch reflexes and strength, Eason utilizes his physical gifts in ways that are a defensive delight.

And talk about a super-sub—Eason is second in the NBA in plus/minus among bench players with a stellar +81, trailing only Caris LeVert’s +137. This has lead to Houston boasting an insane +15.3 net rating with Eason on the floor. He also ranks tenth in defensive win shares (the only reserve in the top ten) and ninth in win shares per 48, one slot ahead of Steph Curry.

It’s rare for a player’s defensive impact to put them in the company of superstars, but Eason has replaced Jonathan Isaac as the new advanced-stat darling. He’s plastered across every nerdy leaderboard you can find, doing so as far and away the least offensively impactful player of the bunch. Still don’t believe me? Sort the NBA by box score plus/minus—Eason is sixth in the entire league, behind Nikola Jokić, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai, Steph, and Jayson Tatum, and ahead of Anthony Davis and LeBron James.

But enough of the nerdy shit, let’s just watch another obscene play by Eason:

Want to talk about owning a defensive possession? Eason jumps the passing lane to take away Pippen’s first option, drops into a deep help position, then closes out on Jaylen Wells to block his three. He manages to ruin Wells’ time twice in the same possession. This is the kind of play only the league’s most elite full-spectrum defenders—Derrick White, Jonathan Isaac, Alex Caruso…—can make. And like those aforementioned defensive stars, Eason is one of the few players genuinely capable of guarding all five positions.

Watch here as he takes poor Bub’s lunch money.

And here, as he takes Wemby’s too, even though he was initially beaten.

One more time for good measure against Kuminga (sorry JK, you made the cut twice)

Eason is the rare player who is equally comfortable being both the first and last lines of defense.

Eason’s energy and style of play may mean that the scaling of his efforts does have a plateau, as it is hard to imagine him being able to constantly compete at this level of energy over more minutes. So, the fact that he can come in off the bench for a deep Rockets team is the perfect need-fit situation. But, if you’re Ime Udoka, it’s also hard to see the impact and value that Eason has and not want to be greedy. Conversely, if you’re Rockets General Manager Rafael Stone, you’re likely in Udoka’s ear about not letting Eason become too valuable, as the team will have to make a decision on him long-term future this coming summer when his fourth-year club option comes up from his rookie deal. You can also bet that other GM’s are closely monitoring the situation, as Eason is the type of player that every team would love to have to balance out its roster.

There karma, are you happy now?