Tari Eason: 6'8" 215 lbs

Tari Eason is a physical specimen who has raw ability that makes him an enticing prospect in this years draft. Eason's main appeal is his defensive upside. Eason possesses disruptive defensive abilities, blocking shots 1.1 shots per game adding 1.9 steals per game or 3 "stocks" per game. On the offensive side, Eason scored effectively as a downhill attacker of the rim thriving in transition as a one man fast-break. In the half-court, his shot leaves something to be desired but he is relentless at driving to the rack especially off of face-ups from the pick and pop. Eason looks up to Kawhi Leonard and physically, he is one of the select few who can somewhat mirror Kawhi's measurements (Eason has a 7'2" wingspan and 11.25" hands). He will be able to defend well immediately at the NBA level and if he can develop his shot should be a big positive on the offensive side in time and in the short term, he can be a plus as a cutter and in transition. Eason is a player that will be overthought because he doesn't demonstrate great "feel" but has undeniable traits that have been tried and proven true indicators of NBA success.

Strengths:

• Prototypical forward size and strength.

• Aggressive slasher who despite the defense knowing he wants to get to the rim, he still gets there going to his favored right hand.

• Active rebounder and instinctive/ disruptive defender. (9.7 rebounds per 36 mins, 2.9 steals per 36, 1.6 blocks per 36).

• Can be a one on one stopper and has weak-side shot blocking capability. *One man fast-break.

• Demonstrates the ability to pick and pop but he usually drives out of it.

Concerns:

• Eason has an unconventional jump-shot that makes it a little difficult to be a modern NBA 3 if the shot does not improve.

• Eason lacks refined feel and apparently in the workout setting, the lack of feel is being exposed.

• His basketball game is helter-skelter and he relies on athletic gifts to make things happen but despite those gifts, he is still raw but has enormous upside due to being able to score as much as he did with the raw skillset.

• Only drives to get to his right hand so he will need to work on his left hand.

Tari Eason is polarizing as many boards and mock draft people have him slipping due to supposedly poor showings in workouts showing the lack of feel referenced above. However, the more I think about Eason in the NBA, the more I like what he brings to the table. You can't teach speed, size and aggressiveness like he has in spades. He may not approach Kawhi like levels despite wanting to fill that footprint, but he can impact a game immediately defensively and as the shot comes around, he can be a ++ defender and a + offensive player at the 3 or 4 position with the athletic ability to defend multiple positions. That archetype sounds like a near all-star to me. Think of Patrick Williams, who I had ranked 3 on my board in 2020. Eason has a worse shot but still shot about 80% from the line but Eason had less of restraint on his team and he has developed more aggressiveness that can make him more ready to score. Eason has a rare athletic profile and the hunger to improve that rarely fails. Sign me up for a guy who likely will out-perform where he is drafted if allotted patience to fully develop. Eason may rise this board more before the Draft occurs. The only players that measure similarly to Eason that I can think of are Kawhi, OG Anunoby, and Patrick Williams. All 3, I value very highly.

The Rundown:

Say hello to the most unheralded top 5 player in college basketball that I have ever encountered. Often, when a player is undervalued and underappreciated it is due to them being unflashy, mundane, or generally unappealing to watch. Tari Eason is decidedly NOT any of these traits, I have legitimately no clue what Coach Will Wade is smoking bringing Tari off of the bench, but he better pass it along. I understand if some people aren’t quite as high on Eason, my particular draft philosophy is really high on that type of player; long, athletic, high IQ wings are the cream of the crop, the apple of my eye, and wouldn’t you know, Tari Eason fits that description to a tee!

Defensively, he is dominant, and the scary part is that his fundamentals aren’t all the way down yet! Stocks (steals+blocks) is a great way to try and determine a defenders impact and its translation from college to the NBA, and Tari is VERY “Eason” on the eyes in that regard. Of course, film is the only way to tell if the numbers are lying to you or not, so don’t worry when I say that Tari is a dominant defender, perhaps the best one in the draft. He can switch out to guards easily, using his wingspan and strength to effectively swallow them up, and his speed to recover in a blink of an eye. He is best against wings, where he must be in the 95th percentile in both wing strength and wingspan, making him a nightmare for opposing teams. He is also very appealing as a small ball center, using his physical gifts and effort to consistently play bigger than he is. Transition or half court, big or small, Eason consistently causes chaos for an opposing offense. His ability to be a weak side OR strongside rim protector is as intriguing as it gets, all on top of his ability to perhaps be able to legitimately guard 1-5.

While he is worse on offense than defense, the offense tends to be more interesting for me to evaluate. He is best in transition, using his agility and raw physical power to resemble what I can best describe as a bull dancing ballet. It sometimes appears that he’s playing on an 8 foot hoop with how nonchalantly he throws it down on the break. He knows when to fill the lanes or stay back on the three point line, you could say that running a fast break with Tari is like living in the Garden of “Eason”. In the half court some of his flaws do begin to take shape, however flashes of greatness permeate as well. The first thing that sticks out is how right-hand dominant he is. His handle is generally good for someone his size, he’s not particularly stiff, but he will try and get back to his right hand by any means necessary. He has good touch but if he gets to the paint by driving with his left he will still use his right hand to finish even if it seems like it would hurt his efficiency. Tari would rather use a reverse dunk if it means his right hand is in use. His shot is still developing but I buy it. He has some flashes of even off the dribble 3 point shooting, and has a good enough shot to require some defensive attention. He is hitting his free throws and, again, has nice touch so I expect him to get to a 36-38% clip from downtown. Perhaps most interesting is his passing ability. He makes genuinely great passing reads in the paint with another big man, being able to leverage his gravity to get his front court mate an open look. He isn’t yet hitting skip passes from the paint but based on his accuracy and instincts (again, great for someone that size) are good indicators. There have even been some pick and roll play with Tari as the ball handler where he uses his size and slashing ability to hit passes that his smaller teammates simply can’t. While on the surface, Tari is a very basic prospect, once you begin to dive into the details you realize he is so much more. Not just a powerful defensive specialist, he is a exceptionally smart slasher who can cause chaos 1-5.

Synopsis: 

Electric athlete in basically all facets, great at slashing to the paint in halfcourt/transition, dominant defender who can play up top or down low, good enough handle but very right hand dominant, not a great shooter yet but has good indicators, sneakily good passer

Shades of: 

A splash of Robert Covington, a dose of Lamar Odom, a sprinkle of Shawn Marion

This is my official apology for overlooking Eason. He is legit. He’s a great two way prospect. He is especially impressive on the defensive end. He has the best defensive rating in college basketball, as well as being #7 in defensive box plus-minus. The advanced stats favor him, as well as people who watch him play. He is a smooth athlete, and has a solid shooting stroke. He plays well on every level of the offensive floor. His playmaking is a bit lacking, but he is still a good initiator on offense. Despite not having an elite first step, he has a good vertical. So yeah, I’m sorry. Expect Tari to be a great force in the league for many years.

Comparison: Marcus Morris

Projected Draft Range: 14-30

Best Team Fits: Cleveland, Denver, Indiana

Height 6'8

Weight 216 lbs

Wingspan 7'2

DOB 5/10/01 (Draft Age: 21)

Pre-Draft Team LSU Tigers

Offense

• Tremendous athleticism.

• Long wingspan and major spring allows for tons of vert dunks and he is a true oop threat.

• Effective slasher.

• Improved free throw shooter and from three. This level of his development needs to continue to blossom and he will be a very special player.

• Tremendous upside in transition, creates opportunities, has lengths, athleticism and the touch to be a monster here. Some upside as a get it and go guy with functional handle.

• The shot mechanics need to be sped up, hitch in his shot where he guiding elbow dips on the load and slings back. Too prolonged and pronounced. A little stiff, could use some more bounce in his shot. Once he speeds up his release his upward trajectory as a shooter should continue.

• Working towards becoming a more consistent and effective pull up shooter. Needs to sort out shot mechanics first.

• Skilled finisher, not just an athlete. Has touch around the cup and a bag to get his finishes, but needs to work on his left hand. Right hand dominant to the point its a major concern he can't go left.

• While a skilled finisher with touch around the cup his middy game leaves touch to be desired.

• Gets to the free throw line a ton, knows how to create contact and use his shoulders.

• Strong finisher through contact.

• Creative handle, but can get out of control at times. Should work to keep turnovers down. Has the tendency to rack up charges when forced left.

Defense

• Turns defense to offense. Defensive playmaker either blocking shots or getting steals.

• Awesome defender with great footwork and discipline.

• Good communicator, alert off ball and excellent awareness.

• Should be able to defend nearly any position in spurts. 2-4 primarily and 1/5 when needed.

• When he exudes max effort, highlights occur.

• Ideally put into a great system defense from jump that allows him to play a rover role. He is a human highlight reel when he can play passing lanes, come from behind or weak side for blocks and dunks.

Swing Factors

• Perimeter Shooting - In order to fill out his potential on the offensive end fixing his shot mechanics will serve him in a major way. There appears to be some level of potential self-creation, but until his shot is sped up and more formidable for the NBA this skill can't manifest.

• Left Hand - Similarly to his shooting, the left hand development is an absolute must in order to fill out his offensive potential. Without comfortability going left he will be a one trick pony and easily read by NBA defenses. It will take away from all the finishing and free throw generation potential plus add more turnovers. Early on NBA defenses will have the scouting report to make him go left. If he can't he will be severely handicapped in the type of minutes he can offer an NBA club from the get go.

Role

• A defensive stalwart who can be a fundamental part of a strong team defense and a potential highlight reel for NBA commercials. Offensively Tari is an intriguing package with lots of angles of usage that may be undermined by some shortcomings (Shot mechanics, left hand) if they aren't addressed.

• LOW: Tari doesn't manifest as a great isolation defender, but is still a positive team defender who can get steals and blocks. His shot mechanic trajectory and left hand never manifest. Relegating him offensively to a transition player, lob threat and screener. He finds himself at the end of a rotation.

• HIGH: Within the first couple years Tari evens out his ability to drive with both hands, speeds up and smoothes out his shooting mechanics leaving growth for some shot creation ability to blossom. Defensively Tari is a key contributor of great team defenses and can be used as an individual stopper. Surprisingly Eason crafts out an NBA career that features multiple All-Star appearances and he is a perennial candidate for All-NBA defense teams.

I freaking love Tari Eason. This dude has great defense, and he’s got great athleticism and a nba ready body. Most analysts call him the prototypical 3+D guy, but I think that’s honestly a bit lazy of a comparison. He’s a so much better ball handler and finisher than people give him credit for. Sure, he’s a solid shooter, but that’s not his best offense attribute. He’s efficient at the rim and is really proving that he is in this top group.

Ranking Scale:

Athleticism:6/8

3pt shot: 5/10

Finishing: 8/10

Handle: 5/10

Playmaking: 5/8

Defensive Versatility: 8/10

Defensive Positioning: 7/8

Rebounding: 4/6

NBA Fit: 7/10

Total Score: 55/80

Best playmaking defender in the class. Plays high risk high reward defense so he'll fuck up a fair amount but will get you a lot of high impact plays. Reminds me a lot of Kirilenko. Very high energy guy who will get you a couple of good transition plays every game. Projects as a good finisher offensively. 3 point shooting is a question, as so is shot creation in general. Likely a peripheral player on offense. Zero playmaking feel.

Best fits: Portland, Los Knicks, Charlotte, Atlanta

Player analysis

Tari Eason is a physical specimen who has great hands and arms for a forward, he recorded Kawhi sized hands with a 7’2 wingspan on a 6’8 body at the combine. Last year he transferred to LSU where he was a defensive menace off of the bench, he made SEC first team while being the sixth man for his own team. Eason knows how to transition defense to offense especially well through getting steals and blocks and rushing down the court to the basket. Tari was very efficient around the rim and wasn’t afraid to use his physicality while still having the ability to work his man, he also has a solid shooting touch and performed well at the combine on shooting drills. He puts a lot of pressure on defense and doesn’t let a player get around him by using his length, in the league he might struggle at first but I expect him to make a few all defensive teams in his career. He fits NBA offenses exceptionally well, he loves to run the floor while pushing the pace of the game and he often leaves defenses discombobulated with his style. Eason does have a positionless feel to him because of the bench role he served at LSU which was largely ambiguous when it came to positions similar to many other college rosters. Any team that needs a versatile defender at the wing/forward spot should really look into drafting him because of the impact he has on that end of the floor.

Projection

Draft range: [ 13 -20 ]

Comp: [ Kawhi Leonard LITE LITE ]

Strengths: Defense and Scoring Weaknesses: Shooting and Playmaking

High Side Projection: Miles Bridges/Draymond Low Side Projection: Justice Winslow/Taurean Prince

Role: 3rd scorer and defender

Draft Range: 13-27

Result: 17- HOU

Athleticism: 6/10 Size: 4/5 Defense: 6/10 Strength: 4/5 Quickness: 6/10 Creation: 3/5 Jumpshot: 4/10 Finishing: 4/5 NBA Ready: 4/5 Ball Handling: 7/10 Passing: 6/10 Intangibles: 2/5 Potential: 7/10 TOTAL: 63= Mid First

Interesting prospect who could go lottery.

He's not much of a three-point shooter. He seems to be a two-way finisher, who seems to show nice motor and is very switchable on the defensive end.

Very interested to see what Eason can do in the NBA, but his growth depends on how much he improves as a 3-point shooter to exceed the below comparison.

NBA Comparison: Shawn Marion