Tari Eason has one vital area for improvement ahead of Rockets contract call

As the Houston Rockets enter the 2025-26 season, almost all eyes are on their newest star, Kevin Durant, and what kind of effect his performance can have on the team's budding offense.

Yet, Tari Eason, who is entering the final season of his rookie contract, should also be a major name to watch this year given the potential financial implications of his performance, and, if the young forward can become a more viable perimeter shooter this season, he could be looking at a big pay day.

The Rockets have already extended Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr., securing pieces of their young core for years to come, and, as Eason's time approaches, it will be intriguing to see how the organization values their young bench player.

Tari Eason could prove to have massive value if he can add a 3-pointer this season

Last season, through 57 games, Eason averaged 12 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists, shooting 48.7% from the field and utilizing his lengthy, 6'8" frame to help shore up the team's defense during their bench minutes.

Moreover, he started 16 games in Smith's absence, averaging 15.1 points and elevating his rebounding and assist numbers with an even lower Usage% than he saw as a reserve.

However, through his three seasons in the NBA he has never shot better than 36% from 3-point range, and, even though his volume went up this past season, he only hit a career-low 34.1% of his shots from beyond the arc.

In the modern NBA, and especially in the Rockets' bench as it is currently constructed, you can't afford to have more than one or two complete non-shooters, and Eason, insofar as he can hit the three with relative consistency, is a valuable piece.

Yet, given the Rockets' lack of perimeter shooting beyond Durant and Fred VanVleet, Eason's mark from the perimeter crawling closer to say, 38%, would be almost invaluable to a team that will rely on him this season to take on a bigger role off the bench.

Moreover, developing a more viable perimeter, or even a mid-range, shot would make his downhill, transition-based game even more dangerous, forcing defenders to take him a bit more seriously and allowing him to catch them in between as he drives to the basket.

Therefore, if Eason is able to keep these numbers steady in his fourth season in the league, we could be looking at a monster in the making and another large contract for Houston.