Rockets' Tari Eason is near the lead in NBA's Sixth Man of the Year race

The Houston Rockets' 'Terror Twins' have been one of the 2024-25 NBA season's best stories.

In some respects, Tari Eason has been more impressive than Amen Thompson. Thompson was supposed to be great. He was a lottery pick. His athleticism was the stuff of legend before he saw an NBA floor.

Eason was an analytics darling, yes. He was a personal favorite of draft nerds across the internet. Still, the broader basketball-watching world did not anticipate that he'd be this impactful at the NBA level.

Eason is a force to be reckoned with. He could even win the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award this season.

Where does he stack up with his competition?

Rockets' Tari Eason should be in the mix for Sixth Man of the Year

To begin the scientific process, I began tirelessly scouring the NBA's databases for the best reserves in the league.

...OK, fine. I solicited suggestions on X.

After that, I narrowed down the list to viable candidates. If Eason doesn't win Sixth Man of the Year, he should (barring any unexpected developments around the league) lose to one of Buddy Hield, Ty Jerome, Dalano Banton or Payton Pritchard.

Let's compare their stats on a per 100 possession basis, as well as their True Shooting % (TS%) and Box Plus/Minus (BPM)

2024-25 Sixth Man of the Year candidate stats

Tari Eason (Rockets)

24.9 points, 14.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 4.6 steals, 2.2 blocks per 100 possessions

58.7 TS%

7.3 BPM

Buddy Hield (Warriors)

31.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.6 blocks per 100 possessions

63.2 TS%

3.3 BPM

Ty Jerome (Cavaliers)

30.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 9.5 assists, 2.9 steals, 0.0 blocks per 100 possessions

72.6 TS%

6.4 BPM

Payton Pritchard (Celtics)

26.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 2.0 steals, 0.1 blocks per 100 possessions

66.1 TS%

2.8 BPM

Dalano Banton

30.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 3.0 steals, 2.3 blocks per 100 possessions

52.9 TS%

4.9 BPM

The competition is fierce. Where does Eason land?

Eason should be second leading candidate for Sixth Man award

Let's use the process of elimination.

Banton and Pritchard are relatively easy outs. That's not to disrespect what either is accomplishing this year. Once again - the competition is fierce.

It's worth noting that Eason has the second-lowest TS% of this group. Still, only one player is shooting inefficiently compared to leaguewide standards, and that would be Banton. Coupled with the fact that Portland is well outside of the playoff picture, he's a weaker candidate despite his well-rounded production.

By contrast, Pritchard is not so well-rounded. He's mostly a gunner. That's fine - he's hitting shots at an impressive pace - but Eason is a two-way force. The difference between them is reflected in BPM, which suggests that Eason is far more impactful.

Similar arguments could be made regarding Hield. His rebounding has improved this year, but he's still largely a one-dimensional contributor. It's also worth noting that earlier in the year, Hield joined Eason among the league leaders in BPM. Hield has regressed, while Eason's elite mark has sustained.

That leaves Eason and Jerome. As painful as it is to admit...

The award is Jerome's to lose.

He's contributing in scoring and playmaking. Jermone keeps the Cavaliers' offense afloat almost singlehandedly while the starters rest. He should be in the running for the league's Most Improved Player award as well.

The TS% is striking. Jerome's 72.6% is almost unheard of. His combination of volume and efficiency currently makes him the most valuable reserve in the NBA. Still, we shouldn't count Eason out:

He's already defying expectations.