Former Ohio State forward Jae’Sean Tate signs with Rockets
By Ryan Stano
The former Ohio State basketball fan favorite will get his chance to play in the NBA after signing a deal with the Houston Rockets.
Ohio State basketball will have more representation in the NBA this season, and it won’t be from Kaleb Wesson. After the disappointing news that Wesson didn’t get drafted, we have better news for you regarding another former Buckeye forward.
Jae’Sean Tate has signed a three year deal with the Houston Rockets. Tate gets this deal after he played in the NBL last season in Australia and was First Team All-NBL. He achieved that feat by averaging 16.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and shooting 37% from three.
The three-point shot was something that held Tate back from the NBA earlier in his career. He wasn’t a good shooter at Ohio State, only shooting 28% from three over the course of his four years with the Buckeyes. That’s something that you have to have in today’s NBA.
That’s also the case when you’re as undersized as Tate is. At only 6’4, he is an extremely small power forward, which is what he played at OSU. With the addition of a three-point shot, he can now possibly play some small forward in the NBA.
He can play the 3 because of how good of a defender he is. He’s very strong and shows maximum effort on the defensive side of the ball at all times. He shouldn’t have trouble staying in front of anyone in the NBA, but some players can still shoot over him.
I’m very interested to see how Tate does in the NBA. He is one of my favorite basketball Buckeyes ever because of his effort and will. He played with a tenaciousness that I absolutely loved. Fans in Houston should like it too.
Based on the Rockets’ roster right now, it’s tough to see him getting many minutes. Right now he’s behind P.J. Tucker and Danuel House on the depth chart. Both have a lot of experience and played well last season. Tate might be reduced to scavaging minutes when there is an injury.
Next. Justin Fields has lost his shot at the Heisman. dark
No matter the case, we wish him luck and hope he achieves success at the next level. We will be watching!