I'm more impressed with Tari after having the benefit of looking back on his season. It was damn near impossible under Silas to play standout defense but he somehow managed it. Almost everyone in the last 2 years stalled or regressed defensively but Tari was able to exceed expectations. For a rookie to have even an average NBA defensive season on a terrible defensive team is quite rare. I think within the next 3 years, he has the potential to become the best wing defender in the NBA under Udoka while he adds muscle and 3pt range. His 3pt shot looked better than I expected but it would be good if he improved his finishing at the rim. Don't underestimate the value of defense, it's half the possessions. An elite defender at any position can get by with a 3pt shot on offense (ending up with a high net impact). The rest of his game will take time to mature, but he's off to a great start and has a good attitude.
Eason doesn't have elite talent (other than the ability to grab offensive rebounds off of his missed layups ) to be a star in the NBA. He is a scrappy guy who plays hard all the time, plays disruptive defense, shoots well enough to not be a liability on offense. And he has that uncanny instinct to be at the right place at the right time. Every team needs a role player like that to play alongside the stars. People remember the last second winning shots made by scoring stars. But a lot of times, tight games are won by a timely play, a steal, a deflected pass, an offensive rebound, etc. Those are the unsung heroes.
I was pondering that nobody really expected an All Star out of a 17th pick .... somewhere where DMo and Terrence Jones landed nearby. But I guess he could only get close to a starter level to better than starter level player when given minutes. I am not sure he can get there with the Rockets in this setting. He seemed to have a good shooting form and potential there.
@Mathloom approaching 2000's clutchfans era "curse of @DaDakota " with his recent player evaluations. Good luck Tari - you will probably need it.
i'm ready to see him play. he looked electric in the pre-season. Fred-Brooks-Tari-Tate-Smith is a lineup i'm really excited for because it should be absolutely suffocating on the defensive end.
Man, we can get both Tari AND Eason on the court together?? It's the miracle of modern science I guess.
can't wait seeing tari back! he is gonna be a catalyst which can allow Ime have more options on both end of the floor (defensively more steals, offensively more orb, more cuts and more nice finishing at the rim).
I wish more would do that. So many people feel the need to be insulting of others when making a point about whatever .... it's unhealthy discussion. People are entitled to their opinion and also entitled to be wrong on occasion .... some more often than others. We don't have to call them idiots and morons because of it.
