Philadelphia 76ers: Could LSU’s Tari Eason fall down to 23?

Since the NBA Draft came into being in 1947, there have been 36 players drafted out of LSU.

Of that fraternity, two went first overall – you know who – 14 more went in the first round, and five were selected between rounds three and five, rounds that aren’t even a part of the draft anymore.

As a general rule, LSU hasn’t exactly been a basketball factory. Of the 36 drafted players, and 50 overall NBA players who called Baton Rouge home in college, only three have made it to the Hall of Fame, and only one, Shaquille O’Neal, played in 800 or more games.

Why, you may ask, is this background information relevant? Well, because for the second time in seven years, the Philadelphia 76ers might just have a chance to draft a player out of LSU with lottery upside in Tari Eason – let’s just hope this time works out better than the last.

The Philadelphia 76ers shouldn’t shy away from Tari Eason’s upside.

A month ago, few fans expected to see Tari Eason available at pick 23. He was too productive at LSU, had too much positional versatility as a 6-foot-7 wing, and even if aggressive his style of play isn’t for everyone, some team would surely fall in love with his fire.

And yet, as so often happens in the lead-up to the draft, opinions began to morph, and Eason found himself on the wrong end of a pre-draft tumble.

That’s right, according to both John Hollinger of The Athletic and Adam Spinella of Box And One with Coach Spins – shout out to friend of the blog Francis Parker for the compilation tweet – teams haven’t been particularly impressed with Eason during the pre-draft process suggesting that his lack of “basketball IQ, when coupled with a slightly weird shot, may limit his ceiling as a pro.

Poor basketball IQ? Weird shot? Why would the Sixers have any interest in that dude? Well, because he’s a very good athlete, a very passionate player, and the sort of “on-court dog” Joel Embiid and basically all of his teammates have suggested the team needs moving forward.

A college sophomore who started his collegiate basketball career at Cincinnati before transferring – upgrading – to LSU for the 2021-22 season, Eason averaged 16.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 1.1 blocks in a little over 24.4 minutes per game. He hit 52.1 percent of his shots from the field, 35.9 percent of his shots from 3, and padded out his game with strong instincts and effort on the defensive end of the court.

While Eason probably won’t come into the NBA as a plug-‘n-play 3-and-D wing, his athletic upside is top-10 in this year’s class, and his ability to become a one man fast break off of a block or steal – an ability he shares with fellow former LSU Tiger Ben Simmons – is incredibly impressive.

Sidebar: Basketball IQ gets overinflated sometimes. Yes, some players have a better feel for a game than others, and yes, Eason’s pension for fouls and turnovers needs to be cleaned up, but those areas of the game can be learned. This, however, can’t be.

Is Tari Eason the next Miles Bridges? Will he become a 20 points per game scorer and a legitimate candidate to earn a max contract? Only time will tell, but his upside alone is worth a look, especially at pick 23, where teams are usually lucky just to get a role player. If the slide is real and Eason’s stock takes a free fall, the Philadelphia 76ers could be the ultimate beneficiaries of his misfortune.