The Houston Rockets have had an extremely successful season. They will not make the playoffs, but they were also not expected to.Most notably, all of their young players improved in 2023-24. Alperen Sengun played like an All-Star before getting hurt, and Jalen Green has continued to do so in his place. Without Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr. has successfully played the role of a small-ball five. Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore, both rookies, have stood out all season.
Houston’s future is looking quite bright. Not only have their young players performed admirably this season, but the Rockets have lots of room to improve. They will give up their first-round pick unless the lottery results change unexpectedly, but they already hold the Brooklyn Nets’ first-round pick this year. Houston also has two more Nets firsts and two first-round trades coming up.
The Rockets are on the upswing and have the ammunition to pursue a big name if they so want. However, if Houston chooses that path, they will also have to part ways with a player on the roster. Forward Jae’Sean Tate is one name to keep an eye on, since he appears disposable and could help the Rockets locate an improvement.
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Tate had his moments as a key contributor over the years, but that hasn’t been the case this season. After the team drafted Whitmore and Thompson and signed players like Jeff Green and Dillon Brooks, Tate found himself on the fringes of Houston’s rotations. That only got exacerbated by him getting injured recently. He suffered an ankle injury a few games ago and hasn’t played double-digit minutes in since March 25th. Tate hasn’t played at least 20 minutes in consecutive games since early January.
