HOUSTON – Playing without your best bench player is always challenging. On the fourth game of Houston's seven-game homestand, the Houston Rockets are set to face the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night. But, they will have to do so without Tari Eason, a crucial part of their bench rotation, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports.
‘Rockets forward Tari Eason, dealing with soreness in his left leg that has been an issue for him all season, was downgraded on Wednesday from questionable to out against the Brooklyn Nets.'
Eason has been dealing with leg soreness since his delayed debut in the 2023-2024 season.
His persistent left leg soreness has limited his playing time to just 25-27 minutes per game over the past month. Since his return, each appearance for the LSU product has been a game-time decision.
No Brooks or Eason for the Rockets
Adding to their woes, the Rockets have also been missing Dillon Brooks, one of their top defenders, due to a strained oblique dating back to the December 26th game against the Indiana Pacers. This led to Jae’Sean Tate being inserted into the starting lineup, a move that has had mixed results. With Eason now unavailable, Coach Ime Udoka is likely to turn to 37-year-old veteran Jeff Green in an attempt to address the team's injury woes.
This situation is undeniably unfortunate. In Eason's last ten games, he has averaged an impressive 13.6 points, eight rebounds, and 2.6 steals in just 26.2 minutes. Throughout the entire season, he maintains a positive net rating of 8.4. Cleaning The Glass ranks Eason's turnover percentage at 8.5%, placing him in the 81st percentile. Furthermore, Cleaning The Glass notes that when he shares the floor with Amen Thompson, their combined net rating soars to an impressive +18.5, ranking them in the 99th percentile in the NBA.
Tate needs to step up
Clearly, Eason's absence will be felt significantly. With both Brooks and Eason out, the question arises of who will effectively guard the Nets' leading scorers, Mikal Bridges and Cam Thomas. If Tate can replicate his performance in guarding Cade Cunningham from their previous matchup against the Detroit Pistons, this setback may not be as bad as it seems. Interestingly, Bridges has struggled to maintain the offensive prowess he exhibited last season as a Net following the Kevin Durant trade. He now averages just under twenty-one points with a 45.6% field goal efficiency, compared to 25.9 points and 47.5% efficiency last season, falling short of the anticipated All-Star status many NBA fans expected.
Time for Cam Whitmore?
As the season progresses, Rockets fans remain hopeful that Eason's leg will fully heal, allowing him to play without the risk of further injuries. On a positive note, Eason's absence may create more opportunities for Cam Whitmore, who has already earned the nickname “Slam” Whitmore. The rookie immediately made a scoring impact in Monday's game against the Pistons, even though it was during garbage time and the Rockets held a 25-point lead. Whitmore scored nine points on 4-of-5 shooting in just eight minutes, highlighted by two emphatic dunks.
The persistent calls to include Whitmore in the rotation have become a recurring theme, and Eason's absence on Wednesday night could provide a silver lining for the rookie.
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