NBA Trainer Aaron Miller Has Seen Firsthand Tari Eason’s Elite Work Ethic

Tari Eason has been one of the hardest-working players in the NBA. It should come as no surprise, as Eason has put in the work from day one, and Aaron Miller, trainer at Elite Basketball Training, has seen firsthand Eason's elite work ethic.

Aaron Miller

The Houston Rockets are currently four games above .500, marking only the second time in four seasons that they have achieved this milestone. They recently secured a 111-103 victory against the Los Angeles Clippers, and Tari Eason has been a critical contributor in the team's recent success.

Eason and Amen Thompson have emerged as one of the best bench duos in the NBA. Both finished Wednesday's game with double-doubles. Eason has been one of the most consistent players for the Rockets all season.

Eason is coming off a difficult 2023-24 season that was hindered by injuries. In that season, he played only 22 games. However, he's off to a strong start this season, and shows no signs of rust from missed time. His success this season is a testament to the hard work he put in from day one.

Eason has dedicated his entire career to tirelessly improving his basketball skills. Aaron Miller, the owner and trainer at Elite Basketball Training, has been part of Eason's training for many years. Miller has trained numerous basketball players, including Patrick Beverley and John Wall. He also works with several current Rocket players, such as Eason, Cam Whitmore, Aaron Holiday and Jeff Green.

Eason began his collegiate career at the University of Cincinnati, where he was named to the American Athletic Conference All-Freshman Team. During his freshman season, he averaged 7.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.2 steals per game, demonstrating his significant defensive impact.

Eason then transferred to LSU for his sophomore season, where Miller first began training the future NBA rising star. Miller, who started Elite Basketball Training nine years ago, discussed meeting Eason.

"Tari and I have been working together since he was at LSU under Will Wade. He always puts the team first and is always willing and put in the work each and every day to continue to progress." Miller said.

Eason would go on to have a tremendous sophomore season, averaging 16.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals. His performance earned him First Team All-SEC and SEC Sixth Man of the Year honors. After his sophomore season, Eason declared for the draft and was selected by the Rockets at No. 17 overall in the 2022 NBA draft.

Eason hit the ground running his rookie season, exceeding almost everyone's expectations. It was evident from his first season that he wasn't your typical rookie.

During his debut season, Eason averaged 9.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. Despite being passed over by 16 teams, he was among the top rookies during the 2022-23 season and earned second-team All-Rookie honors.

There were high hopes for Eason going into his second season with the Rockets. It was a culture shift for the entire team as Ime Udoka took over as head coach and the Rockets brought in several veterans to go from rebuilding to a winning team.

Unfortunately, Eason would go on to play in only 22 games as he dealt with a leg injury all season that eventually led to season-ending surgery in March of 2024. That only motivated Eason even more, as he worked even harder during rehab as he got ready for his next go.

Miller spoke about what went into Eason's rehab process and his mentality during that time.

"This summer we formulated a plan for Tari to maximize his player-efficiency. We wanted to find ways to 'insert ourselves' into the action, continue to create extra possessions for the team, and impact the game by making winning plays," Miller said.

"We have worked relentlessly out of the corners utilizing 0-to-2 dribbles to be a constant threat each possession."

Eason's hard work during the offseason has paid off; he is averaging career highs in points, field goal percentage, three-point percentage, steals and blocks. He has been the most consistent player on the team and, along with Amen Thompson, has formed the best bench duo in the NBA.

17 days until Houston Rockets training camp - Tari Eason is fully prepared to make the most of this season 🚀 @TAR13ASON @HoustonRockets https://t.co/ytis51KyXj pic.twitter.com/lVbL8HvQuj

— Aaron Miller (@EBTMiller) September 13, 2024

Eason has also shown notable improvement in his drives to the basket. In his rookie season, he shot less than 38% on drives, but this season, he has increased that to 47.8%. Rockets on SI asked Miller what has contributed to this improvement.

"After the games, I send him clips of what we can do to improve moving forward, what adjustments we can make when we face that team again, etc. And one thing that stuck out was that we wanted to make sure he is on-balance finishing, a lot more off of two feet and staying on his line on his drives to the rim in the half-court sets."

Miller also talked about how his 3-point improvement has open up lanes to the basket for Eason.

"I also think when you look at stats, you have to consider volume. Tari has improved his 3-point percentage from last season, he has increased his true shooting percentage by 8.6%, and his Per 40 by 3.4% — all of this while taking more 3-point attempts per game than last season," Miller said.

"It all comes back to efficiency — teams have to consider him a threat at all times including when he catches the ball on the perimeter. Teams have to close out to him differently than they did last year, which allows Tari to be a threat to drive gaps to make plays for himself and his teammates."

Eason's defense has also stood out this season. From college until now, Eason has played at an elite level on the defensive end. Miller talked about Eason's preparation going into each game and what he has improved on over the years.

"Approach. He is prepared. I send him scouting reports before the game on his defensive matchup, he is confident in his balance and footwork, and Tari is ready to continue to do whatever it takes to help the team win; set great screens, dive on the floor, make the extra pass, etc." Miller said.

"He focuses on the players tendencies, he likes to know what spots on the floor they are most efficient at, what plays/sets they are getting the most shots out of. His ability to retain information especially as the game speeds up or  gets tight in the 4th quarter is a quality that makes his defensive presence felt."

On the season Eason is first in steals and third in blocks amongst all bench players. He's turned around several games for the Rockets this season by his defensive energy alone.

It was on full display in the Rockets win Wednesday night over the Los Angeles Clippers. Once Eason and Thompson checked in, a 22-11 deficit turned into a halftime lead. With Eason's steady improvement this season, Rockets on SI finally asked about Eason's ceiling.

"I think we are just now seeing the beginning of Tari’s upside," Miller said. "He is going to continue to make strides because he is willing to put the work in that it takes to stay consistent at a high-level. He has a great support system around him and pushes himself to the limit."

Eason is constantly working even when he isn't practicing with the Rockets. Miller talked about how Eason works on his game from early morning to late at night.

"On the days he is here in Houston and the Rockets do not have a game, Eason goes to practice with the team in the morning, and then we meet later that evening at the practice facility to put in a very focused but brief session to stay sharp but not put too much on his body."

It shouldn't surprise anyone that Eason has had success in the NBA. Eason's work ethic and determination have made him one of the breakout stars of the 2024-25 season.

You can find all of Aaron Miller's content on Instagram @elitebballtraining. Miller also offers an online basketball training service called The Elite Formula on elitebballtraining.com for anyone that wants to learn different drills, workouts, concepts and receive feedback on how to continue to make strides with their game.

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