Tari Eason

[Goldbum]

I read Hollinger's article on Eason and he doesn't seem to think he is 6'8" or particularly long. More of a purely perimeter defensive player. Less OG or Aminu type size and more Dillon Brooks. If that's the case IDK that he makes sense for my Blazers with Winslow and Nas Little being the same hight with more length. Just another conflicting opinion... Sheesh

[SeattleJazzFan]

I read Hollinger's article on Eason and he doesn't seem to think he is 6'8" or particularly long. More of a purely perimeter defensive player. Less OG or Aminu type size and more Dillon Brooks. If that's the case IDK that he makes sense for my Blazers with Winslow and Nas Little being the same hight with more length. Just another conflicting opinion... Sheesh

he's wrong. eason has plenty of size. he'll measure 6'8" in shoes and have very good length just as they did.

[ecuhus1981]

Even if he doesn't, who cares? Tari is a defensive difference maker.

Herbert Jones measures 6'6 in socks, but he is a very good and versatile defender. I see a similar path for Eason, though I believe he's closer to 6'8 in socks.

[tester551]

Is it just me, or does Eason remind anyone else of Kawhi? Not saying he will be as good as Kawhi.... just that he plays a similar style.

Also, as I've looked into the top prospects - I keep coming back to Eason as being one of my top four guys. I think he's being under-rated by being projected in the ~8-12 range.

[reanimator]

top 5 for me

[The Moose]

Is it just me, or does Eason remind anyone else of Kawhi? Not saying he will be as good as Kawhi.... just that he plays a similar style.

Also, as I've looked into the top prospects - I keep coming back to Eason as being one of my top four guys. I think he's being under-rated by being projected in the ~8-12 range.

A young Kawhi in a lot of ways yes. Their stat/physical profile is pretty similar too, 6’6-6’8 big wings with +length, physically strong+agile. Fantastic rebounders for wings and defensive game changers. Offensive rebounds/steals off the charts. They both just have a nose for the ball and have a relentless motor on both sides.

Offensively Kawhi was a little bit more perimeter oriented in the sense that he took a lot more mid range 2’s where as Eason is a much better interior scorer.

Just like Leonard, I think Eason can be a defensive specialist right out of the gate, while the rest of his game comes along at the NBA level.

Just read any scouting report about Leonard pre draft and compare to what people are writing about Eason, and you’ll see plenty of similarities.

Leonard obviously had a fairly unusual career arc as he went from defensive specialist , to 3&D to first option, and that shouldn’t be the expectation for Eason. But Eason oozes potential, probably my favourite prospect at this point, he’s in my top 4 too

[The Moose]

Givony finally giving Eason some love, still ranked too low

Tari Eason | 6-8 | PF | Age: 20.8 | LSU | No. 14 in Top 100
Despite coming off the bench nearly every game, Eason has established himself as an SEC Player of the Year candidate, even if his persistent foul trouble and averaging 24 minutes per game will likely work against him.

Perhaps most notable for Eason is his shooting, converting 18-of-41 attempts from beyond the arc (44%) in 18 games. Despite somewhat awkward shooting mechanics -- releasing the ball from his right shoulder -- Eason's confidence has never been higher, especially as of late (13-for-27 his last 10 games). He's shown some versatility with his shot-making, taking and making plenty of difficult pull-up jumpers, while converting 79% of his free throw attempts -- a place he gets to more often on a per-minute basis (9.3 per-40) than any player currently projected to be drafted besides Purdue's 7-3 Zach Edey.

Seeing most of his minutes at center, despite standing 6-8, Eason is a true mismatch at the college level, being simply too fast for slower big men to contain off the dribble and too aggressive for wings to handle in the paint. Eason's quickness, length and instincts also show in the way he gets in passing lanes -- he currently ranks first among projected draft picks in steals generated per minute, while also ranking top-10 in blocks.

Few players in this draft bring a higher degree of intensity to every possession than Eason, which is also reflected in his rebounding numbers and the fact that he is extremely effective switching onto guards and wings -- containing opponents off the dribble and contesting jumpers on the perimeter -- which is highly intriguing in today's switch-heavy NBA.

The considerable jump Eason has made as a 20-year-old sophomore transitioning to the most talented conference in college basketball hasn't been lost on NBA executives, and he's emerged as a real candidate for lottery consideration with his play. Background intel and a productive pre-draft process will be key for the late-bloomer, but he checks so many boxes with his productivity, physical tools, defensive versatility, intensity and budding shooting/shot-creation. -- Givony

https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/33453012/nba-draft-stock-watch-which-prospects-move-ncaa-tournament

[The-Power]

I do agree that the idea of Eason is intriguing but I do have my concerns about him. I long struggled to pinpoint it exactly but I guess I'm worried that he too often lacks control as well as discipline, and I actually disagree with those who praise his motor. Yes, he's super active when there's a play on the ball to be made but I actually think his motor is quite on-and-off and there are too many times where he doesn't run the floor hard, doesn't contest well, or just stands and watches.

Don't get me wrong, he's still a prospect that should be picked fairly high in the draft. Disruptive, great athlete, good size, still fairly young and the on-ball skills are definitely better than I thought to start the season. So yeah, you definitely take him in the lottery, especially in a year like this one – but I can't get on board with the top 5 talk.

[jezzerinho]

I do agree that the idea of Eason is intriguing but I do have my concerns about him. I long struggled to pinpoint it exactly but I guess I'm worried that he too often lacks control as well as discipline, and I actually disagree with those who praise his motor. Yes, he's super active when there's a play on the ball to be made but I actually think his motor is quite on-and-off and there are too many times where he doesn't run the floor hard, doesn't contest well, or just stands and watches.

Don't get me wrong, he's still a prospect that should be picked fairly high in the draft. Disruptive, great athlete, good size, still fairly young and the on-ball skills are definitely better than I thought to start the season. So yeah, you definitely take him in the lottery, especially in a year like this one – but I can't get on board with the top 5 talk.

I've noticed his motor issues too. Team fit will be crucial but he could be a future star if he is kept on the right path.

[Kobblehead]

Is it just me, or does Eason remind anyone else of Kawhi? Not saying he will be as good as Kawhi.... just that he plays a similar style.

Also, as I've looked into the top prospects - I keep coming back to Eason as being one of my top four guys. I think he's being under-rated by being projected in the ~8-12 range.

Definitely noticed this, as well.

And I think the handsize might be similar. The basketball looks tiny in Tari's hand just like it did in Kawhi's.

[ecuhus1981]

I understand the concern about motor to a degree. I liken him to a shutdown corner, where he doesn't go hard every play, but he makes game breaking plays when the offense tests him.

In basketball terms, I see a bigman version of Matias Thybulle. A legit savant at disruption, where some of the softer skills are taking a bit longer to develop. Still, I'd rather take my chances on him than Banchero. There may be more star upside in Paulo, but Ifeel like he's gonna be on a lot of losing teams. Tari can plug and play at least a complementary role on a winning team immediately, with the outside chance of becoming a dominant force in both ends.

[SelfishPlayer]

I'm seeing information about his wingspan being only 6'9". That would be a deal breaker for any defensive stopper projections in the NBA and perhaps an indicator as to why he fouls so frequently. He could be a try hard that benefits in some ways by only being a sixth man in college.

I was only intrigued by his offensive ability, which will be far less impacted by such an ordinary guard like wingspan if only 6'9".

[MemphisX]

I'm seeing information about his wingspan being only 6'9". That would be a deal breaker for any defensive stopper projections in the NBA and perhaps an indicator as to why he fouls so frequently. He could be a try hard that benefits in some ways by only being a sixth man in college.

I was only intrigued by his offensive ability, which will be far less impacted by such an ordinary guard like wingspan if only 6'9".

I read it was 7'2.

[The Moose]

I'm seeing information about his wingspan being only 6'9". That would be a deal breaker for any defensive stopper projections in the NBA and perhaps an indicator as to why he fouls so frequently. He could be a try hard that benefits in some ways by only being a sixth man in college.

I was only intrigued by his offensive ability, which will be far less impacted by such an ordinary guard like wingspan if only 6'9".

I read it was 7'2.

I've read 6'9 online too, but that just does not fit the eye test at all. There is absolutely no chance he's only a +1" wingspan.
Jerami Grant is 6'8 with a 7'2.5" w/s and they honestly don't look too different.
Eason's wingspan has to be 7'0 at least imo

[SelfishPlayer]

Factually, his neck is extraordinarily long in proportion to his body.

Speculating, he appears to have the body of a 6'6" guy with good length, but with the head and neck of a 7 footer.

So this potentially makes him a 6'8" guy with ordinary length, except for his neck, which is extraordinary...

[The Moose]

Eason definitely has huge hands imo, they aren't as freakishly large as Kawhi's but they are still very large for his height

[LXTSN]

I think I'm out on Eason. Watching him play a full game, he seems like a low IQ player. His upside is still very high, he plays great individual defence and measurables but I see him having more of a marquese chriss career path. Actually remember Chriss climbing up the draft late in the year too!

[The Moose]

I think I'm out on Eason. Watching him play a full game, he seems like a low IQ player. His upside is still very high, he plays great individual defence and measurables but I see him having more of a marquese chriss career path. Actually remember Chriss climbing up the draft late in the year too!

it was a very mixed bag, he had a couple of head scratching frustration fouls that really killed his team when they needed his offense. But then he kept them in the game late in the 2nd half with his scoring, still finishing with an efficient 18 points in low minutes.

I think he needs to go to the right situation to succeed, somewhere he isnt just gifted free minutes and the freedom to do whatever he wants. I would like to see him in that young Kawhi/Jaylen Brown development role, kinda like Kuminga is doing right now. Just let him focus on being a specialist first and learn the nuances of the game.

He's raw but his talent and activity level jumps off the screen. To me he's not in the Chriss category because Eason has already shown a huge skill development from his freshman to sophomore season.

[MemphisX]

I think I'm out on Eason. Watching him play a full game, he seems like a low IQ player. His upside is still very high, he plays great individual defence and measurables but I see him having more of a marquese chriss career path. Actually remember Chriss climbing up the draft late in the year too!

One game scouting is the best...

[Chuck Everett]

Eason was a completely different player at LSU than he was at Cincy. That type of improvement to first team All-SEC is unheard of. I think any team with a first round pick would be crazy not to at least work him out in the pre-draft process.