Who is the Biggest Rising Stars Snub?

With the all-star reserves being released this week, snubs are the talk of the league right now. Outcries for the omissions of players such as James Harden and Anthony Edwards are dominating the social media scene, and rightfully so.

What gets lost in this madness, though, are the Rising Stars game rosters, which were released just a couple of days prior. Below lies the full roster selected for the Rising Stars game.

The 2023 #JordanRisingStars Player Pool is here 👀 ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/9txmNRvkcl
— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 31, 2023

For the most part, these teams look pretty good. That is, outside the absence of Houston’s Tari Eason.

The Rockets’ 6-foot-8 forward has been one of the very best rookies in the league this season, boasting an average line of 8.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.6 blocks.

Most notably, the LSU product has been astounding on the defensive end. Eason’s outlier physical tools, such as his 7-foot-2 wingspan and 9.25-inch hands, make him a chaos creator for opposing offenses. He regularly wreaks havoc in passing lanes, and his digs are lethal for ball handlers. The 21-year-old simply has an unwavering motor and a knack for disrupting plays by getting his hand on the ball. As a result, he leads all rookies in steals and ranks fifth in both blocks and rebounds.

Offensively, a lot of the same strengths play a part in Eason’s success. The 17th pick in last June’s draft isn’t yet the most polished scorer, but he racks up points opportunistically by getting to the right place at the right time, such as via put-backs and in transition. He’s also been a solid shooter, knocking down 35.6% of his attempts from beyond the arc. His finishing is a work in progress, but his ranks as a top-ten scorer and top-three offensive rebounder amongst rookies allow him to bring value on that end.

Overall, Eason ranks in the top ten in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks amongst rookies. He also places second in DunksAndThrees’ Estimated Plus-Minus behind just Walker Kessler. The notion that he hasn't been one of the 11 best rookies is nonsensical; he undoubtedly deserved a spot in the Rising Stars game.

Tari Eason highlights from last night:

20 PTS | 13 REB | 12 OREB | 3 STL | 2 BLK

He completely dominated the game with his energy and effort on both ends of the floor. #Rockets

pic.twitter.com/kLgqWw6UhN
— ᵂᴵᴸᴸ (@BiasedHouston) February 2, 2023

Tari Eason is a hooper! Love his frenetic energy. The rim pressure, the steals, the blocks, the hustle. He’s even knocking down his 3 pointers at 36% for the season.

18 PTS | 11 REBS | 3 ASTS | 1 BLK

The #Rockets got a steal at 17. pic.twitter.com/Nb0XvFamoj
— V̷a̷t̷o̷r̷ (@VatorSports) January 27, 2023

Who Should He Have Replaced?

Anytime a player is argued as a snub, it must be specified whose spot they should be taking. After all, there are only so many spots available.

Amongst the rookies selected to the event, Indiana’s Andrew Nembhard is likely the player Eason should take the spot of. He’s exhibited many flashes of brilliance, and has been a solid contributor to a decent Pacers squad. However, the former Gonzaga Bulldog hasn’t quite had as many monster games as Eason, and simply hasn’t matched his overall consistent impact.

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