Tari Eason’s season is officially over.
The Houston Rockets forward is set to undergo season-ending leg surgery on Monday, head coach Ime Udoka announced on Saturday night.
Eason has been sidelined since Jan. 1 while dealing with a benign growth on his left shin bone. Udoka said that the growth was a preexisting condition and something Eason has been dealing with “for a while.” He will have a bone graft on his shin and be sidelined for four months, which should have him back in plenty of time to be ready for the start of next season.
“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 said, . “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.”
Eason has averaged a career-high 9.8 points and seven rebounds this season, though he’s appeared in just 22 games. The 22-year-old was selected by the Rockets with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, and he put up 9.3 points and six rebounds off the bench throughout his rookie campaign.
Eason last played in the Rockets’ 136-113 win over the Detroit Pistons on Jan. 1, when he put up 17 points while shooting 8-of-15 from the field.
“We thought rest and rehab, he could get over it that way, but every time he ramped up, the pain came right back,” Udoka said. “After seeing all the specialists and decision-makers, came to the decision that it’s best to have surgery Monday.”
The Rockets, who beat the Phoenix Suns 118-109 on Saturday night, will next host the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday. Houston holds a 26-38 record headed into that game, which has it in 12th in the Western Conference standings. The Rockets trail the Los Angeles Lakers by six games for the final playoff spot.
Christine Lake is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. With an extensive background in sports journalism, he covers everything from major league championships to grassroots sports events. When she’s not on the field or at the stadium, you’ll find Christine coaching youth sports teams.
