In Saturday’s narrow overtime loss to Portland, the Houston Rockets (0-1) were +14 in the 37 minutes played by rookie forward Jae’Sean Tate, with that plus/minus figure leading the entire team. They were -16 in the 16 minutes that he did not play, leading to the 128-126 defeat (box score).
As expected, the rugged 6-foot-4 forward brought the unique blend of defense and toughness that had many comparing the 25-year-old to a younger PJ Tucker. At times during Saturday’s regular-season opener, Tate put the clamps on Carmelo Anthony and even Damian Lillard.
But Tate also played well on offense, scoring 13 points while making 5-of-9 shots (55.6%) from the field. He flashed promise as a playmaker, recording two assists and potentially more than that, had his teammates made the resulting open shots. (Houston made just 11-of-35 3-pointers for the game, or 31.4%.) Tate was a part of Houston’s closing lineup alongside frontcourt starters Christian Wood, PJ Tucker, and Danuel House Jr., showing the requisite athleticism to also play on the perimeter.
It all made for an eye-opening debut by a young player who was undrafted by the NBA before playing overseas in Belgium and Australia during the last two seasons. Here’s a sampling of some of Tate’s most impressive moments from Saturday’s game against the Trail Blazers.
Jae'Sean Tate Iso D on Damian Lillard. Yep I'd say this guy's a keeper. pic.twitter.com/i4rPharu8D
— John Hollinger (@johnhollinger) December 27, 2020
No-look, cross-court DIME from Jae'Sean Tate. His ability as a playmaker started to show up last night. pic.twitter.com/x8zDrWQvsQ
— Taylor Pate (@taylorlpate) December 27, 2020
The Rockets have Christian Wood and Jae'Sean Tate under contract for the next three years.
Been a hot minute since they've had a young, exciting talent on the roster, and now they have two of them!
— Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) December 27, 2020
GREAT defense by Tate on Carmelo pic.twitter.com/hPIM3e5SE2
— arian (@arxanii) December 27, 2020
Rockets-Blazers was awesome. The Harden, CJ, Dame firepower is just ludicrous to watch. Nurkic made some gorgeous passes. Put Christian Wood on the All-Star radar. Jae'Sean Tate was impressive, love his energy. Houston will be really good if James Harden decides to stick around.
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) December 27, 2020
Tate now with 9pts! 🎯 pic.twitter.com/JxjIO5F8JR
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) December 27, 2020
Jae’Sean Tate going from undrafted to starting and closing games for the Houston Rockets in under 2 years is extremely impressive. #GoBucks
— Sam Block (@theblockspot) December 27, 2020
Jae'Sean Tate ran the FULL DISTANCE of the court to disrupt that play, saving the Rockets a sure-fire dunk from Kanter.
Incredible hustle and effort.
— Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) December 27, 2020
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ5hM1aAvr0
Tate’s 37 minutes off the bench proved essential in helping the shorthanded Rockets stay competitive in a road game versus a playoff team from last season, even with six players unavailable due to COVID-19 issues. Houston’s roster featured only nine active players, just one above the minimum requirement for an NBA game to be played.
Tate and the Rockets will resume play on Monday night in Denver, with Houston hoping to even its record on the young 2020-21 season.
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