Prospect Overview
Rangy forward who after transferring to LSU had a breakout year living at the foul line, making strides as a jump shooter, and defending every position while battling persistent foul trouble.
About Tari Eason
Tari Eason is a long, athletic forward who emerged as a dynamic two-way contributor for LSU in a unique role off the bench designed to mitigate his issues with foul trouble. Considered a fringe top-100 prospect in the high school class of following his senior year at Garfield High School (WA), Eason spent his first collegiate season at Cincinnati. Averaging 7.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.2 steals over 19.6 minutes per game, he showed intriguing upside as a true freshman before opting to transfer to LSU.
Making major strides in a number of areas as the Tigers’ first-option and most impactful defender, the Virginia-born forward finished his sophomore year averaging 16.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 1.1 blocks over 24.4 minutes per game to earn All-SEC first team honors despite starting only four games.
• Measured standing 6-foot-8 in shoes with an improving 217-pound frame and a 7-foot-2 wingspan, Eason has impressive length to go along with a terrific combination of quickness and explosiveness.
• Doing a little bit of everything on the offensive end, Eason’s production was rooted in his aggressiveness, ability to score or get to the line attacking the rim, and improvement as a spot up and free throw shooter. Among the top per-minute scorers in college basketball, his consistency and efficiency stood out as he attacked closeouts, made hustle plays, handled the ball and set screens in the pick and roll, and went one-on-one from the inside and out.
• Guarding every position on the court while often serving as a small ball center for an LSU team that switched everything, Eason showed the ability to use his length inside, his quickness on the perimeter, and making disruptive plays covering ground in impressive fashion.
Advanced Stats
• An unrelenting scorer who put points on the board in a variety of ways, Eason played a larger role than his numbers suggest as he was one of the highest usage players in the country when he was on the floor. Still managing to produce with impressive efficiency, his ability to score both opportunistically from the inside and out and make things happen off the dribble shined last season.
• Getting a quarter of his shots in transition both filling lanes and pushing the ball himself, Eason scored 1.34 points per Transition possession [90th percentile]. Showing his athleticism playing above the rim effortlessly, finishing with good body control, and never shying away from contact, he was brutally effective in the open floor.
• That assertiveness translated in the half court as well. With nearly two-thirds of his shots in LSU’s set offense coming inside, he scored 1.16 points per shot around the rim in the half court [56th percentile]. A threat to finish lobs and an aggressive straight-line driver who showed the ability to finish with both hands, Eason put consistent pressure on the rim.
• That played into his productivity drawing fouls and massive improvement as a free-throw shooter. Scoring 0.98 points per jump shot in the half court [67th percentile], he does not have the most orthodox mechanics, but made set shots and free throws at a significantly improved rate to keep opposing defenders honest and bolster his efficiency.
Defensive Analysis
• With the tools to be a multi-positional playmaker at the net level, Eason had some impressive moments moving his feet containing the ball on the perimeter at LSU. Allowing just 0.75 points per one-on-one possession [52nd percentile], he showed the ability to slide with guards and battle more physical slashers alike.
• Filling a unique role playing at the top of the Tigers’ press, occupying different spots in their switching scheme, and generating a huge volume of deflections due to how aggressive has was allowed to be, Eason stuffed the stat sheet as a sophomore.
• He has room to get stronger and find a body on the glass more consistently, but has all the tools to be a difference maker at the next level with his versatility.
Profile by Synergy Sports
