Eason is healthy, now is time to show why he is the Rockets most important role player.
Tari Eason is a young man. He is also a very talented basketball player. The only thing that outweighs his talent might be his heart and effort. That being said, young Tari Eason made one of the biggest mistakes of any Rockets player last season, and he wasn’t even on the floor. He poked the Golden State Warriors.
Draymond Green notoriously stated in an interview with J.J. Reddick, in regards to the 2018 Rockets publicly stating that they were built to beat the Warriors, that “Real G’s move in silence.”
I’m guessing Tari Eason has never seen that interview, or maybe he has and simply begs to differ with Draymond. I’m an old head, and while I’m okay with talking trash, you better be able to back it up. Actually let’s start with, you better be on the court to even have a chance to back it up. Tari Eason played 22 more games than you and I played last season. In fact in the last two seasons, he’s played fewer games than Anthony Davis, who earned the name “Street Clothes” from Charles Barkley.
Calling out the four-time champions who have done nothing but wax the floor with your team in recent years isn’t wise. Doing so while sitting on the sideline in jeans and a t-shirt that says “Warriors! Come Out to Play…” well that’s just plain dumb.
That being said, Tari Eason is 23 years old. Who of us has not not said or done things that were dumb when we were 23? Tari Eason’s heart is in the right place. I truly believe that.
I remember being a youngster and believing my game had gotten to the point where I was ready to beat my Pop. Now I may not have talked trash to the level of Tari, but I was brash and confident. After all, I was faster, I could jump higher, and I’d watched enough And 1 Mixtapes that my handle would make “Hot Sauce” do a double take. “OHHHHH BAYBEE!” But time and time again, he beat me, or as he put it, “took me to school”. Frustrasting as it was, not only did it humble me, but it made me work harder, and it made me better.
Tari wants what the Golden State Warriors have no doubt, and when he’s healthy, he can be just the type of role player to help a franchise achieve the ultimate goal: a championship. A healthy Tari Eason that continues to develop is the obvious choice to replace the enforcer, Dillion Brooks, in the starting lineup.
But this season he has got to stay on the floor, and if he can, then the Rockets can potentially keep a premiere on ball defender and someone with relentless hustle on the floor for all 48 minutes between Eason and Brooks. His ability to rebound offensively, his ability to disrupt passing lanes, the fact that all his points come from hustle and grit make him an invaluable piece to this team when he’s playing. Which unfortunately hasn’t been enough.
I can envision a scenario where the Rockets eventually have to come to a fork in the road and choose between Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason. A healthy Tari Eason will make that not an easy choice. But if he continues to struggle to be available, he might see himself go from a core piece for a playoff contender to an add-on piece in a trade to make the salaries work. That’s how fine the lines in the NBA are. It’s cliche I know, but the best ability is availability.
Ime Udoka has a conundrum on his hands. There is a lot of young talent on this squad and finding minutes for some players will be a challenge. Tari Eason is not one of the players who should have to worry about where his minutes come from, but only IF he stays healthy.
Tari doesn’t have to move in silence. We want him to be himself and to motivate himself the way he sees fit. Just need him to refrain from motivating the four-time champions to dog walk his teammates, as he sits on the sideline looking like a kid who got put in the corner. But much like when was a 14-year-old kid, I hope Tari has learned the very valuable lesson my Pop taught me. Something about your mouth writing checks that another part of your anatomy can’t cash? You catch my drift.
I finally beat my Pop in the driveway when I was 14. I didn’t say much. There was no celebration, no taunting. My Pop didn’t say anything back either. There was just this unspoken mutual respect. I knew the reason he never let me win was becaus one, he was far too competitive, and two, because he wanted me to earn it and know that I finally beat him because of how tough he had been on me.
He was probably too hurt in the moment to let me know he was proud, but one day we were at a gathering with group of friends and I heard him say to someone, “Have you seen the boy play?” with a sense of pride in his voice. That was cool. I knew he was proud of me and respected me.
If the Rockets become the team we all hope and believe they can be this season, then they should be in position to finally beat the team that has effectively been their “Daddy” for a while. Now if Tari Eason is on the court contributing and is a real factor in those games, then he can talk all the trash he wants. That’s his personality and this team needs him to do what he does best. But it’s Tari’s time to step up and earn that mutual respect from his peers and pride from his teammates, by what he does ON the court. It’s time to cash those checks Tari. We’re pulling for you.