EXCLUSIVE: Rockets Tari Eason's 'Shoot For the Moon' Goal - Hall of Fame
HOUSTON — When the LSU Tigers walked onto the campus of Auburn University for a late-December SEC contest against their SEC rivals, Jabari Smith Jr. received a scouting report on his future Houston Rockets teammate, Tari Eason.
Smith said the scouting report portrayed Eason as the sixth man who played hard, crashed the glass and gave his opponents hell on the defensive end.
LSU sustained their first loss of the 2021-22 season that night in a 70-55 defeat to Auburn. LSU's 11-game winning streak came to an end despite Eason's 11 points, seven rebounds, two steals and a pair of blocks off the bench.
The description Smith obtained in the scouting report was on par with what led the Rockets to select Eason in the first round (no. 17 overall) of the 2022 NBA Draft six months later.
Coach Stephen Silas has echoed Eason's college scouting report throughout his rookie season. For Eason, the description of his playing style represents the chip he has carried on his shoulders on every level of basketball.
"It's never going to leave me," Eason said in a one-on-one interview. "Even now, despite being in the NBA. My whole thing is to carry that chip on my shoulders because it is easy to get complacent. But I am far from a time where I can get complacent.
"I want to be a Hall-of-Famer. I am definitely shoot for the stars, land on the moon."
The chip Eason has carried from Baton Rouge to Houston has him believing he is on the trajectory to the Hall-of-Fame.
To have his name enshrined in Springfield is what Eason has set as the pinnacle of his NBA career. An eternal spot among the NBA's all-time greats will be the ultimate reparation for Eason, given the number of times his name has been overlooked.
Eason revealed he was never the highest recruit. And despite being the best player at LSU, he came off the bench during his sophomore campaign.
Eason said he is used to getting overlooked and has utilized it as motivation. He never became emotional about critics dismissing his talents until he received a call from his agent in late January.
While in the comfort of his Houston apartment, Eason's agent broke the news that he was not originally selected to participate in the 2023 Jordan Rising Stars event.
He was angry and frustrated about the All-Star snub. Still, he channeled his emotions to a career performance a few nights later.
Eason led the Rockets to a 112-106 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He registered a career-high 20 points and 13 rebounds in the win — a dozen of his boards came on the offensive glass.
Due to an ankle injury by Detroit Pistons' Jalen Duren, Eason was a late addition to the rising stars event. But his play against the Thunder inside the Toyota Center played a prominent role in why his rookie season ended with his name amid a small group of elite company.
His name is already in the company of a pair of all-time greats by becoming the third rookie to tally 80 or more steals and 40 or more blocks since the 1980-81 season — joining James Worthy and Scottie Pippen.
"I am used to working through adversity — wasn't anything new for me," Eason said. "I've always tried to prove people wrong, and people are always going to have something to say, but I keep striving to be the best."
Eason described his first season as "growth" compared to his debut against the Atlanta Hawks on Oct. 19. He had to learn how to adjust his body and frame of mind from a 35-game collegiate season to 82 NBA games. And by the end of his rookie campaign, Eason does not feel he is the same wide-eye player from Game 1.
Eason's growth and improvements equate to the development of the Rockets as a whole post-All-Star break.
Houston has won eight games since breaking its 11-game losing streak to the San Antonio Spurs on March 4. And from the coaching staff to the players, everyone deems the franchise is trending in the right direction.
Eason said the locker room became more connected and bought into each other. He feels despite their record, the Rockets' late-season surge is comparable to the Phoenix Suns — who found their strive in the G-League Bubble in 2020 and have since become one of the NBA's elites.
"You cannot look at the record all the time for evidence of improvements, especially with how young we are," Eason said. "It's when you start to catch your stride, your momentum and figure things out.
"Rome wasn't built in a day. And I understand we have a lot of building to do, but I am up for the challenge. My dream has always been to be an NBA champion and All-Star. I want to bring all of that to the city of Houston."
The rookie prospect from LSU is one of several players the Rockets view as a building block for the future. And upon the off-season, Eason looks forward to the lessons and experiences to construct a foundation that could lead to individual and team success during his sophomore season.
Eason said it feels good to know the Rockets view him as a core piece for the future, especially alongside Smith.
But Eason also understands being Smith's teammate means forever listening to his one-time nemesis gloat about handing LSU a 15-point defeat during their college days inside Auburn Arena.
"I am always talking to him about that," Smith said. "He says it was because we were at home. But it was a great game, all SEC games are great. But we will talk about that game forever."
You can follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24
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