A difficult season for the Houston Rockets didn’t overshadow some of the accomplishments of the team’s younger players.
Former LSU standout forward Tari Eason, the 17th overall selection int the first round by the Rockets, was selected to the NBA All-Rookie second team the league announced Monday.
Houston, which finished 22-60 and well out of playoff contention, was also represented on the All-Rookie second team by former Auburn standout Jabari Smith, the son of former LSU star Jabari Smith.
Eason, who transferred to LSU after beginning his career at Cincinnati, proved to be a foundational piece of the team’s rebuilding process. He played in all 82 of the team’s games with five starts and averaged 21.5 minutes per game.
Eason averaged 9.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.1 assists. He also shot 44.8% from the field and 75.2% from the free throw line.
Former Auburn standout Walker Kessler of Utah was part of the five-member first team along with Paolo Banchero of Orlando, Jalen Williams of Oklahoma City, Keegan Murray of Sacramento and Bennedict Mathurin of Indiana.
Eason and Smith were joined on the second team by Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren of Detroit and Jeremy Sochan of San Antonio.
Eason earned the SEC’s Sixth Man of the Year and first-team honors in his only season at LSU during the 2021-22 season under coach Will Wade. He averaged 16.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals before declaring for the NBA Draft.
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