Tari Eason problem the Rockets must avoid at all costs

The Houston Rockets have not extended Tari Eason yet. They need to avoid alienating him at all costs.

It's going to be a balancing act. The Rockets have one of the deepest rotations in the NBA. You can remove the "one of" qualifier when discussing their wing depth. No team has as many quality forwards as the Rockets. That's a tremendous advantage:

But it could look like a rich person's problem when it comes to Eason.

Rockets have a lot of cooks in one kitchen

Recently, the Game Theory Podcast discussed this potential issue.

"Is Tari Eason going to be completely happy with his role in Houston?"

- Bryce Simon, Game Theory Podcast

In fairness, Sam Vecenie responded that he thought the Rockets would re-sign Eason, and Simon basically conceded that likelihood. There's no fear-mongering going on here: These two are posing a legitimate question.

The Rockets added Kevin Durant and Dorian Finney-Smith this summer. They locked Jabari Smith Jr. up on a long-term contract. Amen Thompson has mostly looked like a forward in the NBA so far. This frontcourt is looking crowded:

Where will Eason fit in?

Rockets must prioritize Tari Eason

If Box Plus/Minus (BPM) is your preferred measure, Eason should be the priority over everyone but Durant. His 3.6 mark in 2024-25 was way ahead of Finney-Smith (-1.5) and Smith Jr. (-0.7).

That's not an entirely fair assessment. Finney-Smith is an advanced stats enigma. His BPM is low, but he seems to bolster any lineup he's in. Over 20 games with the Lakers, Finney-Smith was a team-best +268.

Advanced stats are flawed and complex. Any fan knows that Finney-Smith is an impactful player, but there is room for debate as to who's better - right now - between him and Eason.

There's not much debate between Eason and Smith Jr. Eason has been unequivocally better. The Rockets shouldn't make the mistake of prioritizing Smith Jr. just because he's already been paid.

More broadly, they can't make the mistake of deprioritizing Eason. He's an outstanding young player. Eason's ability to generate extra possessions is almost second-to-none. No player in the league can match his unique combination of steals and offensive rebounds.

Perhaps he doesn't need 30 minutes per game. It's unclear whether Eason can keep up his relentless energy over that length of time anyway. That said, they need to find a way to keep his minutes where they've been throughout his career.

That could mean putting him at the 2 for stretches. It could mean deploying him as a small-ball 5. Whatever the case, Eason should be a priority for the Rockets:

In time, they need to offer him an extension as well.