LISTEN: Could Tari Eason Start for Rockets This Season?

The LSU Tiger has been a Summer League standout.

Jeremy Brener | Jul 12, 2022

Throughout the Houston Rockets' first three Summer League games, it's been a small surprise as to who has been the team's most dynamic player.

While many expected it to be No. 3 overall pick Jabari Smith Jr. or even 2021 draft pick Josh Christopher, No. 17 overall pick Tari Eason has been the one to emerge as Houston's best player so far.

In three games during Summer League, Eason is averaging 16.7 points and 11.3 rebounds. In Monday's win against the San Antonio Spurs, Eason had his best performance yet ... dropping a team-high 22 points and 11 rebounds on an efficient 9 of 16 shooting from the floor.

Eason's strong play in Las Vegas has many people thinking if he could crack the starting lineup this season.

At 6-8, Eason provides the size and length the Rockets have been searching for on the wing. He was drafted mostly for his defensive prowess, but his offensive game has been up to par as well in the first half of Summer League.

It might be a challenge to crack the starting lineup if Eric Gordon remains part of the team. However, the Rockets have had many trade discussions surrounding Gordon, so if his spot in the rotation opens up, it could help Eason's cause.

Outside of Gordon, he'll have to compete against the recently-extended Jae'Sean Tate and KJ Martin for minutes at the three. While Tate provides the defense and Martin provides the athleticism, Eason has the best of both worlds and could turn out as the best prospect of the three if he continues along this trajectory.

On this episode of "The Dream Take," host Michael Brown discusses Eason's value, along with other developments from Monday's win against the Spurs.

Published Jul 12, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.