Tag: Tari Eason

Report: Rockets to pick up contract options on Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason

The #Rockets will pick up the 2024-25 contract options on Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., and Alperen Sengun, the Houston Chronicle reports.

As expected, the Rockets will pick up the third- and fourth-year contract options on Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason, Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Contracts for first-round NBA draft picks are only guaranteed for the first two seasons, with the third and fourth seasons are at the team’s discretion.

Smith and Eason were drafted in the 2022 first round. Green and Sengun were first-round selections in the 2021 draft class.

Since all four are productive players for the Rockets, the decision to pick up those contract options for the 2024-25 season was largely a formality. However, it is a procedural step Rockets general manager Rafael Stone is required to do by Oct. 31 to keep them on their current deals.

Green and Sengun will earn $12.5 and $5.4 million in 2024-25, respectively, while Smith and Eason will make $9.8 and $3.7 million. The higher figures for Green and Smith are because their draft slots (No. 2 and No. 3 in 2021 and 2022) correspond with higher figures.

Green and Sengun will be eligible for contract extensions next offseason, once the 2023-24 league year concludes.

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Ime Udoka at open practice: Rockets want to change perception of organization

At Sunday’s open practice, Ime Udoka says his #Rockets want to be a team in 2023-24 that “changes the perception of the organization.”

The Rockets transitioned their 2023-24 NBA training camp back to Houston for Sunday’s open practice with fans at Toyota Center. The first four days were held in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and the team is gearing up for Tuesday’s home preseason opener.

As part of a roundtable conversation on the court with play-by-play broadcaster Craig Ackerman and Hall of Fame legends Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, head coach Ime Udoka told fans his team wants to “change the perception of the organization.”

Coming off three straight years with the worst record in the Western Conference, the best way for the Rockets to accomplish that mission is to exceed expectations in terms of wins and losses. While they’re still widely viewed as a young and rebuilding team, Houston supplemented its young core this offseason with key veteran signings such as Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks and Jeff Green.

Here’s a look at many of Sunday’s top moments, along with select interviews and analysis by fans and media members in attendance.

Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason ready for sophomore leaps with Rockets

#Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. on his goals as an NBA sophomore: “Show what I’ve added to my game, show what I’ve learned. Be more confident and consistent.”

At Monday’s media day to kick off 2023-24 Houston Rockets training camp, forwards Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason began what each hopes is a breakthrough second season as a professional.

Both Smith and Eason earned All-Rookie second-team honors last season, but they’re hopeful of brighter days ahead — especially after a brilliant run at the NBA’s 2023 summer league.

“Show what I’ve added to my game, show what I’ve learned,” Smith said of his goals for the season. “Be more confident and consistent. Confidence wise, swagger wise. Just a whole different player.”

Here’s a roundup of what we heard Houston’s talented sophomores at Monday’s media day from Toyota Center. Training camp begins Tuesday at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

“It’s important to try to make the city of Houston proud, get this city some wins, and get this fan base rocking again,” Eason said after a 2022-23 rookie season in which Houston finished at 22-60, tied for the worst record in the Western Conference.

Where Rockets rank among NBA’s 23 best players under 23 years old

In a new set of rankings, Houston’s Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Tari Eason, and Jabari Smith Jr. all checked in among the NBA’s best 23 players who are under 23 years old. #Rockets

Led by top prospects such as Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs, many young stars are vying to become the next face of the NBA. Many talents with the young and rebuilding Houston Rockets, including the likes of Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Tari Eason, and Jabari Smith Jr., could also be part of that distinguished group.

With that in mind, and as the NBA’s 2023-24 season is less than a month away from tipping off, For The Win’s Bryan Kalbrosky is ranking the league’s 23 best players who are under 23 years old.

So, why 23? Well, it is not just because that was Michael Jordan’s number. Typically, NBA publications rank 25 players under 25 years old. You can read versions of that here, here, and here. Kalbrosky wanted to try out a similar thought experiment, but with a new twist.

By the time players are 25 years old, many have already graduated to their second contract and are in vastly different chapters of their careers than the NBA’s young players. It is harder to compare players like Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum, who will each earn more than $30 million next season, to players on rookie scale contracts.

As a result, Kalbrosky’s rankings are primarily based on how his publication views NBA projections for next season. It is not aimed to be as predictive of their future success or longer-term potential.

Here’s where Kalbrosky ranked Houston players among his 23-person list, which can be read in its entirety here.

Ranking the 23 best NBA players under 23 years old, with a FIBA World Cup star leading the pack

Where should Victor Wembanyama rank? Here’s the answer, along with the other best young NBA stars.

We are entering a new era of the NBA with Victor Wembanyama as one of several young stars vying to become the face of the league.

Now that the NBA’s 2023-24 season is less than a month away from tipping off, as we did last year, we have decided to re-rank the 23 best players who are under 23 years old.

But why 23? Well, it is not just because that was the number worn by Michael Jordan. Typically, NBA publications rank 25 players under 25 years old. You can read versions of that here, here, and here. I wanted to try out a similar thought experiment but with a new twist.

By the time NBA players are 25 years old, many have already graduated to their second contract and are in vastly different chapters of their careers than the league’s young players. It is harder to compare players like Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum, who will each earn more than $30 million next season, to players on rookie scale contracts.

The following rankings, meanwhile, are based predominantly on how we see NBA projections for next season. It is not as predictive of their future success or their potential in the league.

NOTE: For this exercise, all players included must be born after Oct. 24, 2000. 

ESPN’s NBA panel sees Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr. among top sophomores to watch

ESPN’s NBA panel sees #Rockets forwards Tari Eason and Jabari Smith Jr. as among the most important sophomores to watch in the 2023-24 season.

In a newly published piece exploring second-year players to watch in the 2023-24 NBA season, ESPN insiders listed Houston Rockets forwards Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason among the standouts.

The list excluded Orlando’s Paolo Banchero, Utah’s Walker Kessler and Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams, since each member of that impressive trio already showed enough in his 2022-23 rookie year.

Instead, the list focuses on players who showed flashes as a rookie but perhaps lacked minutes or consistency.

Eason, drafted 17th in the 2022 first round, averaged 9.3 points (44.8% FG, 34.3% on 3-pointers) and 6.0 rebounds in 21.6 minutes. Smith, drafted No. 3 in that class, tallied 12.8 points (40.8% FG, 30.7% on 3-pointers) and 7.2 rebounds in 31 minutes.

Eason played in all 82 games for the 2022-23 Rockets, while Smith nearly matched that impressive durability with 79 games played.

Both second-year forwards, who are each well regarded for their defense, will compete for frontcourt minutes once new head coach Ime Udoka opens training camp in the first week of October.

Here’s what ESPN’s writers had to say about both players.

Complete Houston Rockets player ratings list for NBA 2K24 video game

Among #Rockets players, Fred VanVleet, Jalen Green, and Alperen Sengun are leading the way in NBA 2K24’s initial player rankings for the 2023-24 season.

The looming release of the NBA 2K24 video game (Friday, Sept. 8) also involves learning NBA 2K’s ratings for all players across the league. To determine virtual skills, players are rated 1-to-100 across many categories, including a frequently disputed overall rating.

Courtesy of HoopsHype, we also have an idea how each player stacks up compared to his NBA peers. For example, the highest-rated players on the 2023-24 Rockets roster — veteran guard Fred VanVleet, third-year guard Jalen Green and third-year center Alperen Sengun — all have an overall rating of 83, per 2Kratings.com.

Based on HoopsHype’s data from last season, that would be tied for 57th overall while matching players such as Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole, Mikal Bridges, Jonas Valanciunas, Jalen Brunson, John Collins, Desmond Bane and Nikola Vucevic.

Houston’s fourth-highest-rated player is Kevin Porter Jr., who has an 81 rating. That would be tied for 85th based on HoopsHype’s player data from the 2022-23 game cycle.

From best to worst, scroll on for the initial list of overall ratings involving  players on the 2023-24 Rockets. Additional ratings in other categories, such as 3-point shooting and dunking, are available at 2Kratings.com. Depending on results this season, these roster ratings could be adjusted in future NBA 2K digital updates.

Top Rockets plays from 2022-23 season, 2023 summer league

Courtesy of the team, take a look back at top individual #Rockets performances from the 2022-23 season and the recently completed 2023 summer league.

The 2023-24 NBA season (schedule) will start slightly later than usual. The opening game for the Houston Rockets is Wednesday, Oct. 25 in Orlando. One reason for the delay could be the ongoing FIBA Basketball World Cup, in which newly signed forward Dillon Brooks is playing a key role for Canada.

The late start means a longer-than-usual slow period in the NBA calendar: 2023-24 training camps don’t open until early October. As a result, many players and coaches around the league are on vacation as they soak up their last moments of free time for months.

Many remain diligent with offseason training regimens, as well.

With that in mind, it’s a good time to reflect on what we saw from the Rockets in the recently completed season. Courtesy of the team, here’s a look at top individual performances from the 2022-23 league year and the NBA’s 2023 summer league, which finished in July.

Jabari Smith Jr. grows his game after offseason workouts, training with Kevin Durant

“I would say KD [Kevin Durant],” second-year #Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. says of which NBA player helped him improve the most during 2023 offseason workouts.

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HOUSTON — With the release of the NBA’s 2023-24 regular-season schedule, we learned second-year Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. will immediately have a chance to display the results of the rigorous work he put in this offseason. Houston’s first two games are against the last two No. 1 draft picks: Paolo Banchero (2022) of the Orlando Magic and Victor Wembanyama (2023) of the San Antonio Spurs.

Yet, Smith does not see any personal matchups on the schedule that he is circling. His main goal is improving on Houston’s 2022-23 season, in which they finished a dismal 22-60.

“We lost so many games last year that I feel like you have to circle everybody,” Smith said during the team’s recent back-to-school event for students at the Sunnyside Community Center.

“I feel like we lost to every team in the league,” Smith said during Saturday morning’s event. “We lost a lot of games, so everybody is circled. We have stuff to prove after going 22-60. We are just going into every game with the same mindset, like we have something to prove. It is not just one game, we look forward to all of them.”

Smith considered his rookie campaign a learning season, in which he averaged 12.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. The 2022 NBA All-Rookie second-team selection looks to build on the momentum he enjoyed over his last 20 games. During that stretch, Smith shot 47.2% overall and 36.5% on 3-pointers.

This offseason, Smith has trained with future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant — now with the Phoenix Suns — and Smith hopes it will help his personal growth. On paper, the lanky forwards have physical similarities, including a clear height advantage, and the skills to quickly shoot over smaller opponents.

“I would say KD (Kevin Durant),” Smith said when asked who helped him improve the most. “It has been mutual things with other people, but that was my first time actually talking to him, having a conversation, working out with him, and just being around him.”

Smith played briefly this summer in the 2023 NBA summer league and blew away fans, players, and media members with two brilliant performances, including a game-winning 3-point basket with 0.6 seconds left to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers in early July.

The former 2021-22 SEC Freshman of the Year followed that performance with 38 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in a victory over the Detroit Pistons. That was Smith’s final summer league game before new head coach Ime Udoka shut him down.

“I was really open to playing because I felt like it would be a good opportunity for me to show what I have worked on,” Smith said Saturday. “Just play in a different scenario, a different role, and just have fun. Tari (Eason) said he was going to play with me, so that was cool. When they told me I was done, I figured it was going to happen, but me and Tari said we wanted to play every game, win the championship, and start the culture and change it around a little bit.”

With Rockets training camp set to begin in early October, Smith and his teammates are aiming to continue developing their games as they approach the start of the 2023-24 regular season.

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Tari Eason watching more film in 2023 offseason, including of Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard

#Rockets forward Tari Eason tells @KellyIko that he’s doing a lot more film study in the 2023 offseason, including of Jimmy Butler and Kawhi Leonard.

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As a versatile 6-foot-8 forward with considerable defensive potential, former LSU player Tari Eason fits with a broader NBA trend entering his second season with the Houston Rockets.

Drafted No. 17 overall in the 2022 first round, Eason had a successful rookie season in 2022-23, earning All-Rookie second-team honors. Now, armed with veterans acquired in 2023 free agency (led by Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Jeff Green), Eason and the Rockets would like to take the next step in their development.

For Eason, it could involve working some with Brooks in particular. But he’s also focused on film study, both of himself and others around the league that might have some physical similarities.

Here’s what Eason told Kelly Iko of The Athletic:

This summer I’ve watched a lot of film. Watched a lot of Jimmy Butler, little bit of Kawhi Leonard. But I watched a lot of my film (from) the season. Things that I can improve, little things. I watch with me or my high school coach, he lives out here. I’m watching film a lot more this summer.

When Butler and Leonard entered the NBA, each was known for his toughness and defensive versatility. While both are star players today, it took a slow progression over many years for each to become a leading scorer and shot creator on offense. Early on, the focus was for both prospects was primarily on defense.

Time will tell whether Eason can replicate that formula, but it’s a worthy ambition given his skill set and production to date.

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