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There’s plenty to like about 2022 NBA Draft prospect Tari Eason for Cavs

By Dan Gilinsky

Tari Eason, LSU Tigers. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Tari Eason, LSU Tigers. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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Tari Eason, LSU Tigers. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

Eason’s play at LSU was promising, but can the shooting keep improving?

Eason showed flashes as a rotational guy, defensive impact player and energy guy that made some things happen in his 19.6 minutes per contest at UC as a freshman, but his game took off in his sophomore season with the Tigers. Eason then had a bigger role, and while he started only four games, did have 16.9 points and 6.6 rebounds in 24.4 minutes per outing, and showed marketed improvement as a three-point shooter.

In his freshman year with the Bearcats, he hit 24.1 percent from three on 1.3 attempts per game, whereas with the Tigers, hit 35.9 percent from three on 2.4 attempts per game. His free throw shooting went from 57.4 to 80.3 percent, too, and with more opportunities, got to the line a robust 5.7 times per contest with LSU.

The 6-foot-8, 216-pound Eason is an exceptional athlete that is a terror in the open floor, and as a play finisher at times and as a driver in some set situations, he’s an outstanding finisher at the rim. He can make his share of plays while finishing through contact, a la Lamar Stevens (who showed that regularly this season), and Eason is a bouncy player that can get jams to go down, even when defenders meet him at the summit.

There was also, as we noted, growth from Eason as a perimeter shooter, albeit not at high volume, and from deep, that’s via the catch-and-shoot variety. The form needs work in those situations, too, and even with noticeable growth there at LSU, it’s difficult to say if that will translate with regularity at the NBA level; it was encouraging, still.

Maybe the Cavaliers could get more of that out of him; the off-bounce shooting might not ever come, however, and he’s a virtual non-factor on-ball going toward the basket with his off hand.

From there, moving on to the defensive end, Eason could really be a difference-maker early on, and that’s also part of the allure with him for Cleveland as a possible target in the 2022 NBA Draft.