Last season, the Houston Rockets broke out as one of the meanest teams in the NBA. That’s not to say that they played dirty, but stars Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, and Fred VanVleet didn’t mind talking some trash.
Green and Brooks were traded to the Phoenix Suns for Kevin Durant, who is a clear upgrade. However, the Rockets may have lost some of the “edge” that propelled them to the second seed in the Western Conference.
Brooks, especially, impacted winning on the defensive end and didn’t mind getting under opponents’ skin. Tari Eason is a high-level defender who can take over for Brooks, and he’s eager to talk some trash. However, he is yet to find meaningful NBA success.
Tari Eason Needs to Step Up for Houston Rockets
Eason is no stranger to talking trash, so in that regard, he is a perfect replacement for Brooks in the Rockets‘ lineup.
In 2024, the Rockets were chasing the Golden State Warriors for the last postseason spot. The Rockets eventually fell short. During the race, Eason went viral for yelling “come out to play” to the Warriors before Golden State sealed the final play-in spot.
It’s worth noting that Eason missed the final 50 games of that season, so he wasn’t exactly a contributor during that Rockets‘ run. Last season, he averaged 12 points, 6.4 boards, and 1.7 steals for the Rockets while shooting 32.2% from deep.
Brooks was a more efficient shooter and scorer, although Easton demonstrated that he is a hustle player. If he’s healthy, the Rockets should enjoy a breakout year from their fourth-year forward.
Eason relishes talking trash, especially to Draymond Green and the Warriors, but until he can get past the first round of the playoffs, he is yet to fill Brooks’ shoes.
Tari Eason Plans on Taking a Leap
In the seven-game first-round loss to the Warriors in the 2025 playoffs, Eason was available, posting 7.6 points on better shooting splits than he enjoyed in the regular season. He remained an effective defender.
The Rockets will likely turn to Dorian Finney-Smith to eat Brooks’ minutes, although Eason thinks he can bring the intensity.
“I’m probably a little bit more athletic than Dillon is,” Eason told Sports Illustrated. “I can move around. I’m a little bit more switchable, so adding that to my game as far as the mental side that he brought, for sure, I think I could bring that and then some.”
Eason has brought the same trash-talking intensity Brooks brought, but it may have hurt his team, as the Warriors blew the Rockets out to end the playoff race in 2024, while Eason watched from the bench.
He is poised to take a step up this season, but he’s already gotten ahead of himself once.