Leonard is a superstar in the league, a star of the Los Angeles Clippers, and a future Hall of Famer with two championships. However, when he first entered the league, he was just a stunned young man who could defend, and he basically had no offensive skills. But now, he's one of the league's most consistent offensive players. When Leonard first entered the Alliance, his positioning could only be described as a sapper, but as he broke the ceiling, he had grown into a qualified general. A player like Leonard is probably the dream of every team.
Today's Houston Rockets have also ushered in their own Leonard, that is, Tari Ethan. Although the 17th pick in the first round is not the focus of the Rockets, he is constantly learning and Xi improving. In his rookie season, he played in 82 games, averaging 9.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.6 blocks per game.
Just like Leonard, Tari Ethan also has a gritty eye and a tenacious defense. His fighting spirit is like a blazing flame, and he is fearless no matter what challenges he faces. Although his statistics are not dazzling, his efforts and progress are like a bright pearl, shining brightly.
This season, the Rockets have added two new talents, Van Jordan and Dillon, and the whole team is going all out towards the goal of the playoffs. Although Ethan's playing time has been reduced to just 19.4 minutes, he has been able to make a significant contribution to the team every time he steps on the pitch. Remarkably, he still averaged 8.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.6 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. The shooting percentage was as high as 47.1%, and the three-point shooting rate reached 41.9%, which is undoubtedly impressive.
In the last game against the Grizzlies, Ethan was like a bright star and was given a heavy responsibility. He played 26 minutes off the bench and scored a double-double of 25 points and 14 rebounds on 10-of-16 shooting. Amazingly, it also included 6 frontcourt rebounds. His plus/minus is as high as +19, the highest on the team. Such a performance undoubtedly makes people look forward to his future.
Ethan's performance is not accidental, and since the beginning of the season, the Rockets' net efficiency value (offensive efficiency minus defensive efficiency, which is a net score per 100 possessions) is as high as 17.2 as long as he is on the floor. Of all players who have averaged at least 15 minutes per game this season, Ethan's defensive efficiency (94.5) ranks first, which is a testament to his quality and worth.
Ethan himself said: "I feel like we're starting to understand each other, we're starting to understand the difference between being a substitute and starting a start. It's like a dancer has to learn to change the rhythm on stage, we have to step up and change the rhythm of the game. As soon as we got on the pitch, we had to play fast and sweep through the stadium like a blast. ”
Today's Houston Rockets, although not the favorites to win the championship, have a player like Tari Eason undoubtedly injects new vitality and hope into the team. Ethan's all-round performance in defense, offense, rebounding and assists is like a budding tiger, which makes people look forward to his future. His huge potential and development space shine like an unpolished jade. If Eason can continue to maintain this performance and development momentum, I believe he will become one of the core players of the Rockets in the future, leading the team to victory.