One Area Tari Eason Excelled in and One Area He Struggled

The Houston Rockets had an up-and-down season in 2025-26. At times, they look like world beaters, a team that can compete with anyone in the NBA. Wins over teams like the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day, the Detroit Pistons, and an eight-game winning streak to start the month of April.

They also had some of the worst losses of any contending team throughout the season. They surrendered a 20-point lead to, at the time, one of the worst teams in the league, the New Orleans Pelicans. They had several games this past season in which they blew late fourth-quarter leads, and others in which Western Conference teams dominated them from start to finish.

The team's up-and-down season was represented no better than by Tari Eason's. Eason, who has had an up-and-down career mainly due to injuries, played his most games since his rookie season but struggled with consistency throughout the season.

In part five of my series, where I break down each of the Rockets' main rotation players, Head Coach Ime Udoka, and Rafael Stone, I take a look at what Eason excelled at this season and what area he struggled in.

Where Tari Eason Excelled and the Main Area He Still Needs Improvement

Eason since coming into the league has been one of the Rockets best defenders on ball and playing the passing lane. When it comes to steals Eason has a knack of getting his hands on the ball and causing havok on the defensive end. Eason has averaged over a steal a game in all four of his seasons including in 2025-26.

However his 3-point shooting also stood out last season despite seeing a major dip at the start of 2026.

The start of the 2025-26 season was the best start of Eason's four-year career. The young forward got off to a great start from 3-point range. In fact, he led the NBA for the first two months of the season from beyond the arc.

Eason, at one point, was shooting over 50 percent from downtown as he helped the Rockets start the season on fire from 3-point range. Of course, that didn’t last as the Rockets would struggle on offense going forward, especially in December and January.

Despite seeing his 3-point average drop, Eason still finished the season shooting .358 from beyond the arc, which was the second-best of his career, but at a much higher volume. Of course, 36 percent isn't anything to throw a parade over, but for a team that struggled to shoot, especially from 3-point range, 36 percent is not anything to overlook.

When it comes to areas of improvement, Eason has at times struggled with overall consistency, but his biggest issue has been a lack of a strong handle. Eason, just like Jabari Smith, struggles to beat his defender off the dribble, which makes it a lot harder for him to get to the shot he wants.

When teams play tight defense, especially in the playoffs, Eason is almost as likely sometimes to turn the ball over as to get past the initial defender. Eason averaged a career high in turnovers this past season, partly because he also played the most minutes of his career, but also because of his lack of ball-handling.

Just like Smith, if Eason can develop a stronger handle, it would open up his entire offensive game, especially from the mid-range. Until then, he may struggle at times to get good shots and to rely less on his 3-point shooting.

The elephant in the room for Eason, of course, is his pending restricted free agency. There hasn't been any word on whether Eason will sign a new deal or if the Rockets will match any offer. Until then, it's wait-and-see, but either way, Eason is a good core player who can contribute to winning and still has some work to do.

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