Five months later, we can look back on the 2023-24 season as a season of growth and improvement for the youth. Houston RocketsWith a 41-41 record, their 19-win improvement from 2022-23 was the largest annual increase of any NBA team.
With a young and talented core consisting of seven picks (Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason, Amen Thompson, Cam Whitmore and Reed Sheppard) from the first rounds of the last four NBA draft cycles, the hope now is to make another leap forward in 2024-25.
Additionally, three Houston veterans planned game rotationOne is a newcomer (Steven Adams) and two (Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks) are just entering their second seasons with the Rockets. So there could be some improvement in those roles as well, as the veterans continue to acclimate to a relatively new system under second-year head coach Ime Udoka.
With that in mind, what might the best possible outcome look like? To try to find out, we look at the top five performances from each rotation player from last season, as determined by Game scoreWe continue this series with a look at Eason, whose sophomore campaign was limited to just 22 games due to lingering issues. linked to a stress reaction in the lower part of his left leg.
However, when he did play, Eason showed clear signs of improvement. In fact, at one point, Udoka They even compared Eason to a young Kawhi Leonard (which Udoka coached in San Antonio). Here’s a look at some of the best games that garnered such praise:
December 13, 2023 (Rockets 117, Grizzlies 104):25 points, 14 rebounds, 10 of 16 shooting (62.5%), 3 of 4 from 3-point range (75.0%), +19 in 27 minutes; 22.2 Game Score
December 11, 2023 (Rockets 93, Spurs 82):18 points, 14 rebounds, 2 steals, 8 of 16 shooting (50.0%), 2 of 5 from 3-point range (40.0%), +12 in 27 minutes; 15.3 Game Score
December 26, 2023 (Pacers 123, Rockets 117):16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals; 7 of 13 shooting (53.8%), 1 of 2 from 3-point range (50.0%), +9 in 26 minutes; 14.4 Game Score
January 1, 2024 (136 rockets, 113 pistons):17 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals; 8 of 15 shooting (53.3%), 1 of 4 from 3-point range (25.0%), +16 in 24 minutes; 14.2 Game Score
December 18, 2023 (Cavaliers 135, Rockets 130, OT):14 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, 5 of 13 shooting (38.5%), 0 of 2 from 3-point range, 4 of 5 from the free throw line (80.0%), -1 in 33 minutes; 13.0 Game score
Overall statistics 2023-24: 9.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 0.9 blocks in 21.8 minutes; 46.6% field goal percentage, 36.0% 3-point shooting, 52.8% field goal percentage, 17.1 PER, .125 WS/48
More: Best moments of the 2023-24 season: Rockets point guard Jalen Green
This article was originally published on Rockets Wire: Top 2023-24 performers: Rockets forward Tari Eason
