<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rockets-news-tari-eason-is-pumped-to-play-with-learn-from-dillon-brooks');   ga('set', 'title', 'Tari Eason is pumped to play with, learn from new Rockets teammate Dillon Brooks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Rockets-Tari-Eason-Dillon-Brooks.jpeg"></figure><h1>Tari Eason is pumped to play with, learn from new Rockets teammate Dillon Brooks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-07-31T08:16:36-07:00">July 31st, 8:16am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-07-31T08:16:36-07:00">July 31st, 8:16am</time><address><a>Sam DiGiovanni</a>Sam DiGiovanni started at ClutchPoints as an associate editor in 2021 and became the site's Philadelphia 76ers beat reporter ahead of the 2022-23 season. He graduated from Marist College in May of 2022 and has written for TheKnicksWall.com and CenterFieldMarist.com in the past.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Rockets ranked in the bottom five in defensive rating in each of the last three seasons. That should finally change in 2023-24 with defensive-minded head coach Ime Udoka fielding a roster featuring up-and-coming defensive star Tari Eason and veterans like Dillon Brooks and Fred VanVleet.</p><p>As a rookie, Eason flashed some intriguing upside as someone who could guard multiple positions. Brooks, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-2023-nba-free-agency-grades-every-signing-fred-vanvleet" rel="noopener">one of several veterans</a> the Rockets signed in free agency, brings his own blend of intensity and versatility that should give Houston a reliable wing-stopper. He previously mentioned how <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-news-dillon-brooks-reveals-reason-for-choosing-houston-in-free-agency" rel="noopener">excited he is to join Eason</a> and the team’s young core of players – and the feeling is mutual.</p><p>Eason told Kelly Iko of The Athletic that he is <a href="https://theathletic.com/4734466/2023/07/31/rockets-tari-eason-dillon-brooks/" rel="noopener">looking forward to learning from Brooks</a> and obtaining a better understanding of the little nuances that make great defenders elite.</p><p>“Like you just said, he’s one of the best defenders around and I can learn so many things from him,” Eason said, via The Athletic. “There are so many other things to defense besides just guarding your man. There are so many things I can get better at in defense. Just being able to be paired with him and his skill, his approach and how he sees things from a defensive standpoint. I’ll be able to pick his brain, learn and become a better defender.”</p><p>Brooks has been roasted online for the way his tenure with the Memphis Grizzlies ended and poor shooting abilities. But make no mistake, he is a strong defender. A member of last year’s All-Defensive Second Team, the burly forward is unafraid to take on the biggest assignments. Eason is built with similar but slightly better physical tools and a strong desire to shut down the opposition.</p><p>Eason is not the lone Rockets youngster who could provide productive defense this season. Second-year player Jabari Smith Jr. and rookie Amen Thompson each bring defensive skills to the table on top of the talents on the other end that helped make them such tantalizing prospects. Udoka has a lot of new players to integrate into his system in his first season with Houston. But working in his favor is that he has plenty of options.</p><p>The Rockets still have an uphill battle to get to the playoffs despite their numerous offseason additions. If one thing is clear in the way they will develop, it’s that their defense should be significantly better in the years to come.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Tari Eason is pumped to play with, learn from new Rockets teammate Dillon Brooks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rockets-news-houston-makes-jabari-smith-jr-tari-eason-summer-league-decisions');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rockets make key Jabari Smith Jr, Tari Eason NBA Summer League decisions');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Houston-makes-key-Jabari-Smith-Jr-Tari-Eason-NBA-Summer-League-decisions.jpeg"></figure><h1>Rockets make key Jabari Smith Jr, Tari Eason NBA Summer League decisions</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-07-10T13:46:39-07:00">July 10th, 1:46pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-07-10T13:46:39-07:00">July 10th, 1:46pm</time><address><a>Jesse Cinquini</a>23-year-old aspiring sports journalist. Associate NBA editor at ClutchPoints. Staff Writer at SB Nation's CelticsBlog and The Knicks Wall.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Rockets own a 2-0 record in the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-summer-league-4-brandon-thompson-reactions-vegas-opener" rel="noopener">NBA Summer League so far</a>, largely thanks to the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-news-jabari-smith-jr-playing-2023-nba-summer-league" rel="noopener">play of</a> forwards Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason. They have been two of the top performers of the NBA Summer League so far. Smith averaged 35.5 points, seven rebounds, and four assists per game in the two wins, and Eason averaged 23 points, 9.5 rebounds, and four assists.</p><p>Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason are playing so well, in fact, that the Rockets made a key Summer League decision regarding the two forwards. Both Smith Jr. and Eason are <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1678487797408100367?s=20" rel="noopener">likely done playing</a> in the Summer League, per The Athletic’s Kelly Iko.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason are likely done playing in Summer League, per <a href="https://twitter.com/KellyIko?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KellyIko</a>. </p><p>Smith averaged 35.5 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists while Eason averaged 23 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4 assists over  the first 2 games. <a href="https://t.co/RM9oAHiaqt">pic.twitter.com/RM9oAHiaqt</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1678487797408100367?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Jabari Smith Jr., 20, has played one year in the NBA. He averaged 12.8 points per game, 7.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.9 blocks, 1.3 turnovers, and 2.9 personal fouls per game across 79 appearances as a rookie (all starts).</p><p>The former Auburn star struggled to shoot the ball accurately from behind the three-point arc in the 2022-23 campaign — Smith Jr. shot just 30.7% from behind the three-point arc in his maiden NBA season.</p><p>Meanwhile, Tari Eason, 22, has also played just one year in the NBA. He averaged 9.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.6 blocks, 1.2 turnovers, and 2.3 personal fouls per game across 82 appearances in the 2022-23 regular season.</p><p>The Rockets pulling both Eason and Smith Jr. from Summer League play seems like the right move. After all, both players showed that they were too good for Summer League. Here’s to hoping that Eason and Smith Jr. continue playing at a high level once the 2024 regular season rolls around.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rockets make key Jabari Smith Jr, Tari Eason NBA Summer League decisions

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rockets-news-tari-eason-drops-5-word-message-on-houston-rookie-cam-whitmore');   ga('set', 'title', 'Tari Eason drops 5-word message on Rockets rookie Cam Whitmore');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Eason-Whitmore.jpg"></figure><h1>Tari Eason drops 5-word message on Rockets rookie Cam Whitmore</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-07-09T19:17:12-07:00">July 9th, 7:17pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-07-09T19:17:12-07:00">July 9th, 7:17pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David is in his first season as an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is based in Los Angeles and currently covers basketball at every level from NBA/WNBA to men/women college and boys/girls high school.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Rockets have <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-news-amen-thompson-take-fit-jalen-green-jabari-smith-jr" rel="noopener">established a solid young core</a> of players. With former lottery picks Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr. on the team along with Alperen Segun, Kevin Porter Jr. and Tari Eason, the Rockets have a future they can believe in. They added to that core in the NBA Draft when they selected both Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore. Thompson is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-amen-thompson-ankle-injury-update-summer-league" rel="noopener">currently shut down</a> as an injury precaution for the rest of summer league, but Rockets fans will still get to see Whitmore who put on a show on Sunday. His play <a href="https://twitter.com/clutchfans/status/1678190528939143168?s=20" rel="noopener">drew some strong praise</a> from Eason who dubbed him a ‘special player.’</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Tari Eason on Cam Whitmore: "Man, that dude is special." <a href="https://t.co/l7eBCwATRh">pic.twitter.com/l7eBCwATRh</a></p><p>— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) <a href="https://twitter.com/clutchfans/status/1678190528939143168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“Man that dude is special,” Tari Eason said following the Rockets summer league win against the Detroit Pistons. “He just turned 19 years old yesterday, literally. That fact that he’s able to come out here and play in such a mature game, shows a true testament to how great he is as a player and how great he will be.”</p><p>That’s sure to be music to Rockets fans ears as Cam Whitmore has a chance to be the steal of the draft. He was considered a lottery talent but he ended up slipping to the No. 20 pick where the Rockets grabbed him. Against the Jazz on Sunday at summer league, Whitmore finished with 21 points, one rebound, two assists and one steal. He shot 9-16 from the field and 3-7 from the three-point line.</p><p>Rumors swirled following the draft as to why Whitmore slipped with everything from injury concerns and character issues being floated around. But apparently Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune did not do Whitmore <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-rockets-rookie-cam-whitmores-draft-slide-linked-villanova-coach-kyle-neptune" rel="noopener">any favors</a> following his decision to declare for the NBA Draft.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Tari Eason drops 5-word message on Rockets rookie Cam Whitmore

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rockets-news-assistant-coach-drops-insane-tari-eason-hall-of-fame-comparison-that-will-hype-up-fans/');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rockets assistant coach drops insane Tari Eason Hall of Fame comparison that will hype up fans');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Tari-Eason-Dennis-Rodman-Rockets-John-Lucas.jpg"></figure><h1>Rockets assistant coach drops insane Tari Eason Hall of Fame comparison that will hype up fans</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-10-07T21:48:24-07:00">October 7th, 9:48pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-10-07T22:43:09-07:00">October 7th, 10:43pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>a film enthusiast. loves horror &amp; the coming of age genre. end goal is to write stories for movies &amp; television.hit me up on Twitter to talk about sports &amp; movies!</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Rockets have been in the middle of a huge rebuild ever since trading away franchise star James Harden back in January 2021. And with one impressive preseason performance after another, it seems as if Tari Eason, the 17th overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft, has crashed the party as one of the pieces the Rockets will seek to build around as they claw their way back to the top.</p><p>In the Rockets’ 116-100 preseason win over the Toronto Raptors, Eason tallied 24 points on an impressive 8-of-15 shooting from the field, throwing in eight rebounds, two steals, and two threes for good measure. After the game, assistant coach John Lucas, who played 14 seasons in the NBA, compared the highflying 6’8 combo forward to Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman.</p><p>In fact, Lucas even called Tari Eason a better version of the five-time NBA champion, two-time All-Star, and one of the most proficient rebounders of all time, <a href="https://twitter.com/kellyiko/status/1578576299987116032?s=46&amp;t=ulc7VOGUzlbRbzRJqQ3ncA">per Kelly Iko of The Athletic</a>.</p><p>Those are some pretty lofty expectations out of a 21-year old who hasn’t yet played a single minute in the NBA. Dennis Rodman, i<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bulls-news-how-chicago-went-to-great-lengths-to-stop-dennis-rodman-from-going-to-las-vegas/">n spite of his many eccentricities</a>, went on to become one of the most crucial parts of two championship winning cores in the Bad Boys Detroit Pistons and Michael Jordan’s second three-peat with the Chicago Bulls.</p><p>The Rockets will be stoked if Eason achieves anything close to what Rodman did for his career.</p><p>Nonetheless, Tari Eason has appeared to be an entirely different kind of player to Dennis Rodman thus far. For all of Rodman’s strengths, scoring wasn’t one of them. Meanwhile, Eason has shown the ability to shot from deep and slash to the hoop, all the while displaying his motor and hustle that perhaps drew the comparison in the first place.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/xyhnj6/iko_john_lucas_said_tari_eason_is_a_perfect/">Rockets fans on Reddit</a>, on the other hand, likened Eason to a young Kawhi Leonard, who was known for his defense and the occasional 3-pointer. However, fans should pump the brakes on those kinds of expectations and allow the 21-year old to grow into a unique player in his own right.</p><p>The Rockets have drafted Jalen Green, Jabari Smith, and Alperen Sengun as the foundations of their new young core, in addition to fiery scoring point guard Kevin Porter Jr. But with the potential emergence of Tari Eason, it might not be long until Houston gets taken seriously yet again as playoff contenders.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rockets assistant coach drops insane Tari Eason Hall of Fame comparison that will hype up fans

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'Tari Eason’s mom reveals his mindset while guarding LeBron James at CrawsOver');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Tari-Eason_s-mom-reveals-his-mindset-while-guarding-LeBron-James-at-CrawsOver.jpeg"></figure><h1>Tari Eason’s mom reveals his mindset while guarding LeBron James at CrawsOver</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-08-21T11:26:28-07:00">August 21st, 11:26am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-08-21T11:26:28-07:00">August 21st, 11:26am</time><address><a>Jack Winter</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Tari Eason has yet to make his official NBA debut with the Houston Rockets. Even when that special time comes in mid-October, though, it may not surpass personal significance of what the 21-year-old experienced on Saturday at Jamal Crawford’s Seattle Pro-Am.</p><p>Playing on the team opposite LeBron James, Eason intentionally sought out an individual matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers superstar in what his mother called “the greatest moment of my son’s life—and it’s not even close.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Eason's mom on what Tari's mindset was while guarding LeBron 👇 <a href="https://t.co/2coPA7DPAs">pic.twitter.com/2coPA7DPAs</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1561377080499216384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>James wasn’t the only star to grace the CrawsOver with his presence on Saturday in one of the most <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/lebron-james-to-play-in-crawsover">highly anticipated games</a> of the amateur summer circuit.</p><p>Boston Celtics franchise player Jayson Tatum and the first two picks in the 2022 draft, Paolo Banchero of the Orlando Magic and Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder, also took part in the action. Atlanta Hawks guard DeJounte Murray, a first-time All-Star last season, Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon and former All-NBA point guard Isaiah Thomas played in Crawford’s pro-am, too.</p><p>Unfortunately, the game was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-shockingly-exits-halfway-through-crawsover-game-called-off-soon-after/">called early</a> due to condensation on the floor from an overpacked gym making playing conditions unsafe. Don’t feel too bad that Eason’s “greatest moment” was cut short, though. He’ll no doubt have ample time to battle his childhood idol over the next few seasons in the NBA.</p><p>At 6’8, 216 pounds with long arms, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-news-jabari-smith-6-word-reaction-tari-eason-monster-summer-league-performance/">rare athleticism</a> and underrated strength, Eason was one of the most disruptive defenders in college basketball last season while coming off the bench at LSU. He ultimately projects as a major plus on that side of the ball, making life hard on superstar wings like James in isolation while wreaking havoc as a helper.</p><p>Will Tari Eason be able to do it as a rookie? A helpful glimpse into finding out will come on January 16th, when the Rockets and Lakers face off in 2022-23 for the first time.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Tari Eason’s mom reveals his mindset while guarding LeBron James at CrawsOver

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rockets rookie Jabari Smith’s 6-word reaction to Tari Eason’s monster Summer League performance');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Rockets_news_Jabari_Smith_s_6-word_reaction_to_Tari_Eason_s_monster_Summer_League_performance.jpg"></figure><h1>Rockets rookie Jabari Smith’s 6-word reaction to Tari Eason’s monster Summer League performance</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-07-12T05:43:21-07:00">July 12th, 5:43am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-07-12T05:46:42-07:00">July 12th, 5:46am</time><address><a>Jason Patt</a>Jason Patt has been an editor at ClutchPoints since 2018. He also covers the Bulls for Forbes and SB Nation's Blog a Bull. In addition, he co-hosts Cash Considerations: A Chicago Bulls Podcast for the Blue Wire Network. If you couldn't tell, he's from Chicago.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Jabari Smith is the top prize of the Houston Rockets’ <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/houston-rockets-2022-nba-draft-grades-for-every-pick/" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft class</a>, but the franchise also added two other players in the first round: Tari Eason and TyTy Washington Jr. On Monday night in Vegas, Eason stole the show in a 97-84 Summer League victory over the San Antonio Spurs.</p><p>Eason poured in a game-high 22 points and stuffed the stat sheet with 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in 28:34. He shot 9-of-16 from the field and 2-of-3 from 3-point range.</p><p>After the game, Washington took to Twitter to hype up Eason. Smith noticed and gave his own analysis of his fellow Rockets rookie:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Yea that guy is pretty good <a href="https://t.co/TdLynxhQvl">https://t.co/TdLynxhQvl</a></p><p>— Jabari Smith Jr (@jabarismithjr) <a href="https://twitter.com/jabarismithjr/status/1546733344196440065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 12, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>In three Summer League games in Vegas, Eason is averaging 16.7 points and 11.7 rebounds. <a href="https://www.nba.com/summer-league/2022/vegas/player-stats?dir=D&amp;sort=REB" rel="noopener">He’s third in all of Summer League</a> with those 11.7 rebounds per game, and the two guys ahead of him have only played one game apiece. While Smith has the majority of the hype as the No. 3 pick, Eason is out to prove the Rockets got a steal at No. 17.</p><p>Smith had himself a terrific performance on Monday as well, going for 19 points and nine rebounds while shooting 6-of-12 from the field and 3-of-5 from 3-point range. This was his best performance so far in Vegas after some shooting struggles in previous games.</p><p>The Rockets have to be excited about all this young talent they have on board after trading James Harden and other stars in recent years. Smith and Jalen Green are the headliners from the top of the past two drafts, but this roster boasts a plethora of talented youngsters as the franchise hopes to return to relevancy sooner rather than later.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rockets rookie Jabari Smith’s 6-word reaction to Tari Eason’s monster Summer League performance

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '');   ga('set', 'title', '3 bold predictions for Tari Eason in his rookie season with Rockets');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Rockets-Tari-Eason.jpeg"></figure><h1>3 bold predictions for Tari Eason in his rookie season with Rockets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-07-09T07:16:08-07:00">July 9th, 7:16am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-07-09T07:16:08-07:00">July 9th, 7:16am</time><address><a>Sam DiGiovanni</a>Marist College '22 | earned my stripes at TheKnicksWall.com and CenterFieldMarist.com</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Rockets are entering this season with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/houston-rockets-2022-nba-draft-grades-for-every-pick/">three rookies</a> they picked in the first round. One of them is Tari Eason, a 6-foot-8 forward who will take little time to become a fan favorite.</p><p>Eason shined for LSU after transferring from Cincinnati. On top of playing outstanding defense, the Rockets rookie showed the ability to shoot, draw fouls and handle the ball. His well-rounded offensive game is a complement to his rugged, energetic defense.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"I believe that no one can score on me. Or I make it hard for people to score on me. I know it's the NBA and certain dudes are going to score and things are going to happen. But I pride myself on my defense."</p><p>Tari Eason on his defensive confidence 😤</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/BySamDiGiovanni?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@BySamDiGiovanni</a>) <a href="https://t.co/tGRDOgdrFu" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/tGRDOgdrFu</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1540162386157371392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">June 24, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Rockets have tons of young players, including third overall pick Jabari Smith Jr., who will most likely start ahead of Eason. Even as a bench player – or perhaps as a small-ball center next to Smith from time to time — he should have a very impactful rookie season. Here are three bold predictions for Tari Eason’s rookie season with the Rockets.</p><p><b><i>*Watch NBA Games LIVE with fuboTV (<a href="https://www.fubo.tv/stream/nba/?irad=356361&amp;irmp=492408">click for free trial</a>)*</i></b></p><h2>3 bold predictions for Tari Eason in his rookie season with Rockets</h2><p><b>3. Eason continues to be an efficient 3-point shooter</b></p><p>One of the biggest swing factors for Eason is his shooting. He connected on 35.9 percent of his 2.4 3-point attempts per game last season. Over three-quarters of his shots were from inside the arc, which doesn’t inspire confidence that he will become a strong shooter. However, there is plenty of room for optimism.</p><p>Although Eason won’t be a true floor spacer, he has shown some intriguing shooting abilities with his free-throw efficiency. Not only did he shoot 80.3 percent from the charity stripe, but he also shot 5.7 attempts per game. That is a good amount of volume, especially for someone who played only 24.4 minutes per game. It shows that his shooting touch is very real.</p><p>Having a solid free-throw percentage in college often leads to being a good 3-point shooter in the NBA. It has proven to be an indicator that is just as good, <a href="https://medium.com/push-the-pace/fact-or-fiction-is-college-free-throw-percentage-better-than-college-three-point-percentage-at-8c77a7e3f09a">if not better</a>, of success behind the NBA arc than college 3-point shooting. For Eason, this is very good news. He may be a low-volume shooter — don’t expect him to be anything else — but he should be an efficient one.</p><p><b>2. Eason emerges as the Rockets’ best defender</b></p><p>Of all three predictions, this one seems to have the best shot at happening. Houston has a need for defense, which was a key reason why drafting Eason was such a good move for them. His defense and confidence will make him the team’s most notable defender in his rookie season.</p><p>Eason has the size and mobility to match up with just about any player. Although he will have to monitor his fouling, like all young bigs, he has the tenacity to make a real impact from day one. This will be huge not only for when the Rockets need stops but as they look to build a competitive culture.</p><p>If the Rockets can also get 2021 pick Usman Garuba going, they will have the option to use a frontcourt pairing that can switch onto players and help them clamp down the opposition pretty well. After watching Christian Wood’s defense, Rockets fans will be over the moon watching Eason cover ground and lead the young team on defense.</p><p><b>1. Eason makes an All-Rookie Second Team</b></p><p>It seems unlikely that someone picked as far back as Eason was will make an All-Rookie Team. However, strong defense is often rewarded by voters. The clearest case of this came last year with Herb Jones of the New Orleans Pelicans, the 2021 draft’s 35th overall pick. He was such a monster on defense that he nearly made the first team.</p><p>Obviously, Jones and Eason are different players on different teams. But the groundwork has been set for players who come into the NBA and dominate on defense getting recognition for it. If Eason can stick with his matchup and give Houston a strong defensive presence near the rim, he may take home an accolade.</p><p>There will be a lot of strong contenders for the All-Rookie First Team this season. Eason still has some questions about his offense that could make his first-team case harder to prove. Regardless, his tremendous defense will make him a name worth remembering.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
11.5	5.2	1.6	0.5	0.8

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
11.5	5.2	1.6	0.5	0.8

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