The Houston Rockets are finding the missing piece in Tara Eason

Despite Kevin Durant scoring 30 points in consecutive games, Houston Rockets‘ the recent upheaval is fueled adding Tarry Eason to the starting lineup.

Houston had dropped four of its previous five before making the move. But since elevating Eason to the starting lineup, the Rockets are 3-0, including wins over the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Eason, who missed 14 games with an oblique strain and leg soreness, said he was happy his head coach, Udoka’s name, “he finally trusts me.”” enough to start with.He also made it clear that he wanted the role permanently.

“It just sets the tone,” Eason said. “To be able to come out and set the tone, to feel the game at the very beginning.”

That feeling allowed Eason to shoot 50% from the floor as a starter.

Udoka said he “loved the fact” the 24-year-old was vocal about wanting to stay in the starting line-up.

NBA analyst Zach Love called change “a really big deal,” urging fans not to sleep on the Rockets’ new-look starting unit.

Udoka spent the first part of the season experimenting with different line-up combinations, looking for the right balance. But Eason provides something that none of the other options do. He’s a better shooter than Josh Okogie, a better penetrator than the smaller Reid Sheppard and, right now, healthier than Dorian Finney-Smith.

According to Cleaning The Glass, rockets are outscoring opponents by 23.5 points per 100 possessions when Eason shares the floor with Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., and Amen Thompson.

Tari Eason makes the difference on defense

He is also very solid defensively.

Despite Udoka’s defensive reputation, the defense has fallen off this year, due in part to the increased use of their twice-sized lineup. In fact, the Rockets fell on 21^st in defensive rating in the last two weeks, according to The Athletic. But Eason helps stabilize things, as evidenced by his work in defense of Luka Doncic on Christmas Day.

Eason provides more balance on both ends of the floor than even Adams. And his shooting, a career-best 49% from beyond the arc, has given Durant more room to score lately, as teams haven’t been able to double-team him as often with Eason’s success.

“He’s very unique and impacts the game even if you’re not calling all the time for him,” Udoka said. “We’re starting to add him to more things, whether he’s a (ball) handler or a guard. He’s going to crash the glass at a high level, like a lot of our guys. He shoots the ball extremely well, so the spacing is going to be good with him.”

And since it’s a contract year, the 24-year-old should be even more motivated to play well.

“You really can’t explain what he’s doing out there,” teammate Jabari Smith Jr. said. “You just see.”

“Randomly, a loose ball falls into his hands,” Smith added. “He makes rebounds. He just adds another whole dynamic to our team that we haven’t seen since he’s been out. It’s great to have him back. I love having him there.”

Durant echoed that sentiment, emphasizing Eason’s unpredictability.

“I think teams are still going to try to figure it out,” Durant said. “But I think the last couple (of) games we’ve been knocking down (traps) shots and making the right plays. (Tary) just finds his way to the basketball. He finds his way in the game. He just makes things happen. He just affects the game. You can’t exactly determine how he’s going to affect the game every night, but it’s impossible to predict. Because you never know if he’s going to make four or five threes, cut to the end (or).”

“If we have that unpredictable offense like we’ve had the last few games, it’s only going to make us better,” Durant added.

Eason has shown his worth more than ever, proving that he could be the missing piece for Houston.