Tari Eason ready for Rockets season after injury rehab [Exclusive]

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When Houston Rockets wing Tari Eason took the court at the Drew League in Los Angeles this summer, it was the first time he had stepped on the court in an actual game setting following a leg injury.

Eason dealt with a leg injury all of last season that ended up cutting his second year in the NBA short. He was limited to only 22 games and his last appearance on the court was back on Jan. 1 against the Detroit Pistons.

While that early January game was the last time Rockets fans would see Eason play, he did leave an example of what the team was expecting from him. He finished the game with 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field.  It seemed fitting then that when he suited up at the Drew League, he would remind fans what the Rockets saw in him.

He exploded for 45 points showcasing the breathtaking athleticism and scoring potential that made Houston select him with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. A Southern California native, it was just natural for Eason to make his return to the court in a summer league he grew up wanting to be a part of.

"I played in high school, I just didn't play too much," Eason told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. "I think it's the best program in the nation. I think it's highly competitive, everybody's getting after it. There's not a lot of blowouts, I love it."

Tari Eason first suffered the leg injury during the Rockets 2023-24 preseason opener against the Indiana Pacers. He was sidelined for the Rockets' first 12 games of the season before making his 2023-24 debut on Nov. 8 against the Los Angeles Lakers.

In a blowout win for the Rockets, Eason put up a near double-double with nine points and nine rebounds. He would miss only three games from that game until early January. But it was then that the injury became too much to overcome and the decision was made to shut him down. He ended up undergoing surgery in March.

But with all that behind him now, he's feeling good and ready for the upcoming season. He credits his mentality and focus to being able to get past it.

"It feels good, just trying to get my rhythm back and play as much as possible going into the next season," Eason said. "Nothing's changed, nothing's different. The injury was a minor setback but I've been working from the bottom my whole life. This is nothing new."

Tari Eason's future as part of Rockets young core

During Tari Eason's rookie season with the Rockets in 2022-23, they were an incredibly young team that didn't have many vets in the locker room. They bought out John Wall's contract that offseason and ended up trading Eric Gordon by the deadline.

But 2023-24 brought a change in new head coach Ime Udoka. And along with that came a change in direction too. The Rockets still had a solid young core, but they made sure to add experienced voices in the locker room in the form of Fred VanVleet, Jeff Green, Reggie Bullock and even Dillon Brooks. Both VanVleet and Green have championships under their belt.

Every team needs its vets to blend with the young talent and Eason definitely noticed the difference.

"Just a lot more leadership and accountability. Just knowing what it takes to be a pro and win at the highest level. It's a man's league," Eason said. "The incoming veteran guys that came in last year, I think they really showed us just how to conduct ourselves and how to move in the right way."

While Eason's play was limited last season, when he was able to play he showed why the Rockets envision him as a big part of their future. He averaged 9.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 46.6 percent from the field, 36 percent from three-point range and 63.6 percent from the free-throw line.

In mid-December right before he was shut down for the remainder of the season, he had a five-game stretch where he averaged 15.8 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.2 steals. He shot 52.7 percent from the field and 53 percent from three-point range.

Among that stretch were games with 18 points and 14 rebounds followed by 25 points and 14 rebounds. And going into this next season, Eason is just looking to build upon that while improving certain aspects of his game.

"I'm just trying to be a better all-around player," Eason said. "I'm working on my ball-handling, shooting, creating, making the right reads, just stuff like that,"

The Rockets open the 2024-25 season on Oct. 23 at home against the Charlotte Hornets in what will be Tari Eason's first game back since the injury.

The post Tari Eason ready for Rockets season after injury rehab [Exclusive] appeared first on ClutchPoints.