GREAT NEWS: Coach Imme Udoka announces the return of a significant player

April 10, 2024 admin Others 0

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.

Tate has had his moments as a big contributor in the past, but that has not been the case this season. After the team drafted Whitmore and Thompson and signed players such as Jeff Green and Dillon Brooks, Tate found himself on the outskirts of Houston’s rotation. This was only aggravated by his recent injury. He had an ankle injury a few games ago and has not played more than 10 minutes since March 25th. Tate has not played at least 20 minutes in consecutive games since early January.

Tate’s play this season has been pretty consistent with the standard he’s set the last few year, so it isn’t as if performance is why he’s been stuck to the bench. While his points and assists per-36 minutes have gone down this year, part of that is due to Tate playing garbage-time minutes and not accruing any needless stats in that time. He’s still shooting roughly the same from the field and on two-point shots and is cleaning the glass at roughly the same rate. He’s still a versatile defender who can shift up and down the lineup on that end, too.

The Rockets just don’t have a big need for him at the moment. With Brooks and Smith showing they can hold up defensively sliding up the lineup, Tate’s presence just isn’t as necessary as in previous seasons. Sengun is their starting center and Jeff Green can also play either the four or the five. Jock Landale also gets minutes at center backing up Sengun. Houston just has a lot of options.

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