Eason had his best season, but he still needs to stay on the court more.
We all love Tari Eason. He brings an incredible dynamic of forcing chaos onto the opposing team when coming off of the bench. And he started off the season as one half of the Terror Twins with Amen Thompson as high-quality reserves. But after Jabari Smith Jr. got hurt and Thompson entered the starting lineup, Eason was left standing as a one-man wrecking crew off the bench.
But there’s one thing we need from Eason. He needs to be on the court. After playing in all 82 games his rookie season, Eason has played in just 79 out of 164 games over the past two years. His former leg injury mysteriously popped back up again this season as needing “management”, forcing Eason into missing 25 games in the 2024-2025 season. One of the best abilities is availability, and Houston simply needs more of it from Eason.
Statistically, he had his best season as pro. He averaged a career-high 12 points per game to go along with 6.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.7 steals, and nearly a block per game. The steals and assists were also career highs. His 48.7 percent shooting percentage was also a career best. His three-ball dipped to 34.2 percent, but it was still effective enough (almost league average) to keep teams honest. His 24.9 minutes per game was also a career-best.
He had pretty good numbers in the postseason series against the Golden State Warriors, but with the team fully healthy, he only averaged 18.9 minutes per night in the postseason. This illustrates an ongoing problem for the Rockets. Granted, in the grand scheme of problems, this is a good one to have, but Houston’s depth keeps guys like Eason, who should be playing a ton, on the bench more often than he should be. The same issue happened with Jabari Smith Jr., who was one of Houston’s most consistent shooters in the playoffs, but that’s another article.
Rockets GM Rafael Stone can talk continuity with this group all he wants, but at some point, decisions are going to need to made. Eason has one more year on his rookie deal at $5.6 million. He’s most certainly going to want a long-term deal. He’s also going to want to play more than 20 minutes a night — and most likely deserves to — as the 24-year-old begins his athletic prime.
Will the Rockets be able to offer Eason the salary he wants as well as the playing time he’s likely going to be seeking? Granted, Eason will be restricted when he hits free agency after this season, but he’s not going to put off signing a long-term deal forever. The Rockets also have a similar decision to make with Smith Jr. They’re not going to be able to feed all those mouths over the long term, as we’ve been over ad nauseum here at TDS. There are 29 other teams in the NBA who can use a Tari Eason.
The best thing Eason can do for himself and the Rockets this season is show that he’s completely healthy and stay on the court. He’s going to get run for Ime Udoka as his resident agent of chaos. If he wants a big deal in Houston, showing he can be available all year is the first place to start.