Impacting for a billion-dollar contract! Another 24-year-old new star of the Rockets rises: his offense and defense ability is better than that of Tanhualang?

Before the new season training camp begins, the Rockets still have two major tasks to complete, that is, to renew their contracts with Durant and Tari Ethan. Renewing Durant's contract is a planned thing, and the Rockets will also actively strive to complete an early contract renewal with Ethan to avoid him entering the free agent market next year. Coach Uduka said in a recent interview that the starting lineup has not been completely confirmed, and the biggest suspense is the starting power forward, and Jabbarry Smith and Ethan are important candidates for the starting power forward.

Judging from this series of signs, the Rockets attach great importance to Tari Ethan. Ethan was the No. 17 pick in the first round of 2022, and joined the Rockets in the same year as Jabbarry Smith Jr., who was the Tanhua.

Although the draft pick that year was much lower than Jabbarry Smith Jr. However, after three seasons in the NBA, Ethan showed no less strength than Jabbarry Smith Jr.

Jabbarri Smith Jr. played 57 games for the Rockets last season, including 39 starts, averaging 30.1 minutes per game, scoring 12.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.7 blocks. He shot 43.8% from the field, 35.4% from three-point shooting percentage and 82.5% from free throws. Jabbarry Smith Jr. averaged 11.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 0.3 steals and 0.9 blocks in the starting game, shooting 41.3% from the field, 34.6% from three-point shooting percentage and 82.6% from free throws.

Ethan played 57 games for the Rockets last season, starting 16 games, averaging 24.9 minutes per game, scoring 12.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.9 blocks, shooting percentage of 48.7%, three-point shooting percentage of 34.2%, and free throw shooting percentage of 76.0%. In 16 games in the starting game, Ethan averaged 29.9 minutes per game, scoring 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.3 blocks per game, shooting percentage of 52.4%, three-point shooting percentage of 32.2%, and free throw shooting percentage of 81.3%.

Ethan is only 2.03 meters tall, but his wingspan reaches 2.18 meters, and he has become a defensive master. Ethan also had higher offensive efficiency last season than Jabbarry Smith Jr.

In addition to being inferior to Jabarry Smith Jr.'s three-pointers and free throws, Ethan showed most of the skills that he showed last season than Jabarry Smith Jr. The Rockets have completed a five-year, $122 million early contract renewal with Jabarry Smith Jr. this summer. This contract is fully guaranteed and has no player or team options.

There is no doubt that Tari Ethan's contract extension will definitely refer to Jabarri Smith Jr.'s contract. Although the draft pick is not as good as Jabbarri Smith Jr., Tari Ethan shows even better versatility than Jabbarri Smith Jr., and there is no doubt that Ethan will hit a contract worth 100 million yuan.

Tari Ethan is only 24 years old. He can help the Rockets whether he plays as a starter or a substitute. Ethan has excellent physical conditions and is very capable of hitting the inside. His shooting ability is improving and his shooting percentage is improving every season. The most important thing is that his defensive attributes are very rare, and he is good at stealing and blocking shots. He is good at defending individually, assisting and supplementing defense.

When Ethan and Amen Thompson played as a substitute last season, when the two played together, they always helped the team to achieve a small climax, and were praised by fans as the "goal god" combination. Amen Thompson has been trained by the Rockets as the core of the future, and he will get a maximum salary contract in the future. Tari Ethan's potential may not be as high as Amen Thompson, but the immediate combat power and potential he showed would have a chance to get a contract of RMB 100 million. Most importantly, Ethan will enter the golden age of basketball players in the coming years.

The Rockets need Ethan's championship puzzle to win the championship in the next few years. Rockets reporter William Galley revealed that many people in the NBA believe that before signing a new contract with Durant, the Rockets will be committed to finalizing a long-term early contract renewal contract with Ethan, and the 2021 No. 17 pick rookie has one year left. Hopefully, once these two contracts are finalized, the Rockets will have a clearer understanding of the current financial prospects of this lineup.

Regarding whether the new season starts with Jabarri Smith Jr. or Tari Ethan, Rockets coach Uduka said: "This is yet to be determined. I do think Jabarri has made great progress this offseason, and it is obvious that he was a starter most of his time here before he was injured. We will explore all the options. We feel like we have a pretty strong lineup depth and quite verticality. So, we will try different options as many different options as possible. I think everything will come naturally during training camp."

{here's the Rockets introduced Durant this summer, and he has one year left to pay about $54.71 million in the 2025-26 season. According to the labor-management agreement, Durant is eligible to sign a two-year, $122 million contract starting from July 7, and six months later, another $124 million will be added to two-year, $124 million. The Rockets and Durant renewed their contract for two years is expected. The Rockets also have to take advantage of Durant's outstanding state to attack the championship. For Durant, the better the players around him perform, the more conducive they will win the championship.

"Durant is the kind of player who doesn't want us to rely on him. He wants to be in the team more than letting others around him and make way for him. He has conveyed the idea to many young players: 'Be yourself and continue to grow in the areas you are good at, and I will play where I need me.'" Uduka said.

Tari Ethan is an indispensable player on the Rockets' road to winning the championship in the future.