The Houston Rockets and head coach Stephen Silas have preached that the team wants to be better defensively in the 2022-23 season. The Rockets ranked 30th of 30 teams in multiple defensive metrics last season, and they know they’ll have to improve if they want to make a run toward the playoffs in the coming years.
After taking Jabari Smith, a strong defender, at No. 3, Houston doubled down on its commitment at No. 17. Rockets general manager Rafael Stone and his basketball operations team selected LSU’s Tari Eason, who was widely regarded as one of the best and most versatile forwards in the draft and a defensive specialist.
The selection was the Rockets first using one of the picks obtained in the blockbuster James Harden trade to Brooklyn in January 2021.
Eason averaged 16.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game during his one year at LSU and will enter the NBA at 21 years of age. More impressively, he averaged 1.1 blocks and 1.9 steals per game last season with the Tigers. It’s a defensive skillset Houston has long coveted.
Houston has considered Eason the best defender in the draft, taken by his his ability to switch and play with aggression. https://t.co/hvnUoOrC7T
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 24, 2022
Eason brings defensive intensity to a frontcourt that will feature Alperen Sengun as a scorer and post presence accompanied by Smith as a 3-point threat and switch defender. Eason is set to compete against Jae’Sean Tate, KJ Martin and Usman Garuba for minutes.
The versatility on defense, compared to Eason’s offensively oriented counterparts, could pay large dividends for the Rockets. At LSU, the 6-foot-8 forward was able to switch essentially from point guard to center and guard equally well inside and outside the perimeter. This could lead to transition baskets and allow for Silas to finally exhale about his team’s performance on the other end of the court.
Fans will not have to wait long to see Eason debut in a Rockets uniform. He and the other Houston 2022 rookies are expected to play in the Las Vegas Summer League starting on July 7.
.@TAR13ASON is a ???? pic.twitter.com/rvR5ZLyTrj
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) June 24, 2022
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