Ohio State basketball: Jae’Sean Tate returns to home state in Rising Stars Tournament

Jae’Sean Tate, who played with the Ohio State basketball team from 2014-2018 and earned All-Big Ten honors in consecutive years, will represent the Houston Rockets in the Rising Stars Tournament at NBA All-Star Weekend in Cleveland on Friday.

The sophomore forward has become a dynamic defender and reliable shot creator for the Rockets and seems to be a part of the franchise’s plans going forward after signing a multi-year deal with a qualifying offer through 2024.

During his second season in Houston, Tate is 5th on the team with 27.4 minutes per game in 54 starts. He is averaging 12.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.0 assists, ranking in the top 100 in the NBA in all three categories. Tate dropped a 22-point double-double in a tight loss to the league-leading Phoenix Suns in the final game before the All-Star break. The Rockets fell to 15-42 with the loss but Tate has continued to be a bright spot on a team tanking for another year.

The Ohio native became a starter at Ohio State as a freshman in mid-January and was later named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team with teammate D’Angelo Russell. Tate had his sophomore season cut short after suffering a shoulder injury but showed a ton of potential under Thad Matta prior to going down. He put up 11.7 points and 6.4 rebounds, before leading the team with 14.3 points as a junior. Matta was fired following that year after the team went just 17-15.

Tate considered leaving the program because Matta was let go but decided to stay and was named a team captain in Chris Holtmann’s first campaign. Tate and Keita Bates-Diop, who went on to win Big Ten Player of the Year in 2018, helped the Buckeyes go 25-9 and reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three years. Tate received All-Big Ten honors for a second straight season as a senior but went undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft.

He was expected to play with the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2018 Summer League but missed the opportunity with a fractured finger. Tate eventually earned a chance in the NBA because of his stretch in Belgium and Australia from 2018 to 2020. The 6’5 wing played with Antwerp Giants in 2018-19 and won the Belgian Cup, and earned Belgian League All-Star and All-Offensive Team honors, scoring 13.0 points and 5.6 rebounds in the BCL.

Throughout his lone season with the Sydney Kings in Australia, Tate was named to the All-NBL First Team, averaging 16.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game in 28 appearances. The former Buckeyes forward finally got his chance in the NBA after that, signing with the Rockets in November 2020. Tate made his league debut a month later and finished with 13 points and four rebounds in an overtime loss against the Portland Trail Blazers.

He started 58 games as a rookie, most on the team, and averaged 11.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game en route to being named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2020. Tate is an extremely versatile player, consistently impacting both ends up the floor and filling up the box score. He also became just the second player in franchise history, the first being Hakeem Olajuwon, to compile a mind-boggling 32 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, five blocks, and two steals.

Tate will participate in the Rising Stars Tournament as part of Team Rick Barry, alongside Rockets teammate Alperen Sengun, Cleveland Cavaliers standouts Evan Mobley and Isaac Okoro, rookies Cade Cunningham and Franz Wagner, and G-League Ignite prospect Dyson Daniels. After finishing his high school career as the highest-rated recruit in Ohio and becoming the Ohio State basketball team’s captain as a senior, Tate will return to his home state with a chance to flash his electric playmaking ability.

The Rising Stars Tournament at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse will get started at 9 PM on TNT.