Rockets player who will shock NBA world with breakout 2026-27 season appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Houston Rockets were dealt a major blow before last season even began when it was revealed that starting point guard Fred VanVleet would miss the whole year due to an ACL injury. The hits kept coming as Steven Adams was also ruled out for the year after the season started, and Kevin Durant injured during the playoffs. With the Rockets looking to reverse their fortunes and establish themselves as a force in the Western Conference, there are a couple of players on the roster who could potentially have a breakout season.
Although VanVleet is back and healthy, Reed Sheppard is very much in the Rockets’ plans and only improving as a player. Amen Thompson could conceivably be in the running for his first All-Star appearance. But there is one player on the Rockets’ roster who is primed for a breakout season, and whom the team is going to need for success, and that’s Tari Eason.
Tari Eason primed for breakout Rockets season
The No. 17 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Eason is coming into his fifth year in the league, all with the Rockets. He is also fresh off signing a brand new five-year contract extension worth around $81.5 million. He’s continually showed flashes of the player he could be, but has dealt with unfortunate injury lucky the past couple of seasons.
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Namely, what the Rockets need from him is consistent 3-point shooting and defensive intensity on the perimeter. He’s been primarily a bench player over the last four seasons, and that role figures to be the same coming into 2026-27. A world exists, however, where Eason is the team’s top bench option and potentially in the running for the Sixth Man of the Year Award.
The past two seasons, Eason has emerged as a double-digit scoring threat. He averaged 12.0 points per game in 2024-25, and then 10.5 points last season. He’s been a rather efficient scoring option as well, with career averages of 45.1 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent shooting from the 3-point line. Ideally, the Rockets would probably want him closer to the 40 percent mark from distance, and that’s certainly doable this season.
Eason was limited to 60 games last season, including 34 starts, due to being limited by multiple injuries. He still averaged double digits in scoring to go along with 6.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 steals with splits of 41.6 percent shooting from the field, 35.8 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 77.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
During the Rockets’ opening round playoff loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, he upped his numbers across the board to the tune of 13.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.5 steals with splits of 47.7 percent shooting from the field, 33.3 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 84.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
He started four of the Rockets’ six playoff games due to the injury to Kevin Durant, but his numbers coming off the bench weren’t too far off from those stats. If he can remain healthy, it’s not out of the question to believe he continues his current upward trajectory. He’s solidified himself as a capable scoring threat with the second unit.
And other key reason why Eason could be in the mix for a breakout season with the Rockets is because he’s been training this offseason with famed NBA trainer Clint Parks. Parks is famous for having helped develop Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Kuzma and Jaden McDaniels, all $100+ million contract players. Simply put, the Rockets need Eason to have a big year in order to take another leap in the West, and he is primed to be able to live up to his new contract.
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