Houston Rockets' Tari Eason OUT 2-3 Weeks; What's Next?

Tari Eason has a stress fracture that will keep him off the Houston Rockets floor for the first part of the season.

The Houston Rockets are beginning the season with a bit of a flat tire as second-year pro Tari Eason is set to be sidelined for 2-3 weeks with a stress fracture on his leg.

"He is in the rehab stage," coach Ime Udoka said. "After two weeks, we will get him checked out. If he plays on it, eventually it could become a fracture. We caught it early when he started feeling pain. So we are shutting him down to get the rehab in."

Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason grabs a steal from Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson / © Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

It's the first big injury in Eason's young career after he played all 82 games last season. He finished his rookie year averaging 9.3 points and 6.0 rebounds in 21.5 minutes.

The loss isn't catastrophic for the Rockets, but Eason is expected to play a key role off the bench for Houston. With Eason out, he could miss Houston's In-Season Tournament opener on Friday, Nov. 10 against the New Orleans Pelicans

So, with Eason sidelined, how will the Rockets recover?

Players like Jae'Sean Tate and Jeff Green are the likeliest ones to receive playing time with Eason out. Reggie Bullock may also see a spike in minutes.

Eason's biggest attribute that the Rockets will miss comes on the glass. His effort is a staple that coach Udoka wants to use as a pillar for the team moving forward in its rebuild. There's hope that Eason's toughness has rubbed off on his teammates and that it will translate in this early stage of the season.

The Rockets' season begins Wednesday when they visit the Orlando Magic. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. inside Amway Center.