Rockets' Tari Eason: Puts up 16 points in return

Eason (lower leg) tallied 16 points (6-10 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 3-5 FT), four rebounds and one steal across 24 minutes Thursday in the Rockets' 132-127 loss to the Kings.

Eason had missed the Rockets' previous 13 games due to left lower leg injury management. Still, he wasn't eased back into the mix, as the 24 minutes he received exceeded his season-long average (22.8 per game). The third-year forward offered a nice scoring punch off the bench but didn't deliver his usual output in the defensive categories, where he's provided most of his value this season. In any case, now that Eason is healthy again and immediately playing normal minutes, he's worthy of at least a cursory pickup in 12-team category leagues. The long-term absence of Jabari Smith (hand) could provide Eason with a window to take on even more minutes in the frontcourt in future contests.