Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason will have season-ending surgery on his left leg Monday, coach Ime Udoka said Saturday night. Eason, 22, has been out since Jan. 1 and has appeared in just 22 games this season.
The second-year wing has been dealing with a benign growth on his left shin bone.
“He had obviously been going through some things through the year and had a benign growth on the shin bone, the tibia I think,” Udoka told the Houston Chronicle.
“Took that blow early in the season. Flared up. He played through it with some pain. Never had a chance of fracturing. It was a pain tolerance thing. Once the pain got too high, he shut it down.”
Ime Udoka announces Tari Eason will have surgery on Monday to remove a benign growth on his lower leg bone (shin). He will have a bone graft and rod put in and will be “ready to go in four months.” pic.twitter.com/Kiut1hcgpK
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) March 3, 2024
Udoka said the growth was a preexisting condition and something Eason has had “for a while.”
“We thought rest and rehab, he could get over it that way, but every time he ramped up, the pain came right back. After seeing all the specialists and decision-makers, came to the decision that it’s best to have surgery Monday.”
Udoka said Eason will have a bone graft on the shin and be out four months.
Houston Rockets’ Tari Eason posted career highs of 25 points, 14 rebounds vs. Memphis Grizzlies
Eason was selected 17th overall by the Rockets in the 2022 NBA Draft out of LSU. The Virginia native made five starts in 82 games of his rookie 2022-23 season.
He averaged 9.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 21.5 minutes per game while shooting 44.8% from the field and 34.3% beyond the arc.
Furthermore, in the 22 games he appeared off the bench with Houston this season, he averaged career highs of 9.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 21.8 minutes per game.
Plus, the forward shot 46.6% from the floor and a career-best 36% from 3-point range.
In Houston’s 117-104 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Dec. 13, he recorded career highs of 25 points and 14 rebounds in 26 minutes as a reserve.
In the 480 minutes Eason played this season, the Rockets outscored opponents by more than nine points per 100 possessions, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Per multiple NBA betting sites, the Rockets hold 11th-shortest odds to make the playoffs in the Western Conference. Sportsbooks are showing better odds for the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers.
Houston hosts the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.
