Standout sophomore LSU forward [autotag]Tari Eason[/autotag] wasn’t a lottery pick during Thursday night’s 2022 NBA draft, but he didn’t have to wait long after.
The transfer from Cincinnati, who was voted as the SEC’s sixth man in 2021-22, was selected by the Houston Rockets with the 17th overall pick, a spot which several recent mocks projected he could go. He becomes the highest-drafted Tiger since [autotag]Ben Simmons[/autotag] went with pick No. 1 in 2016.
He’s the second first-round pick from LSU in the last two seasons after [autotag]Cameron Thomas[/autotag] went to the Brooklyn Nets at No. 27 last year.
The Rockets finished last season 20-62 and had the worst record in the Western Conference. They also picked at third overall, a selection they used on Auburn forward Jabari Smith. Houston has some young pieces but remains in the middle of a rebuild. In Eason, it lands a high-upside player who may need to develop a bit to become a starter in the NBA.
The dream officially becomes a reality for Tari. @TAR13ASON is heading to Houston 🚀 pic.twitter.com/DyA6w8ZCmF
— LSU Basketball (@LSUBasketball) June 24, 2022
After a relatively quiet freshman season with the Bearcats, he had a huge campaign with LSU this season. He averaged 16.9 points per game with 6.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals. He mostly came off the bench despite averaging 24.4 minutes, and his tendency to get into foul trouble played a role in that.
Still, this seems like a good opportunity for Eason to develop on a roster where the expectations will not be extraordinarily high, at least not immediately.
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