Jae'Sean Tate

Jae'Sean Tate

Tate with the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2018
No. 8–Houston Rockets
Position	Small forward
League	NBA
Personal information
Born	(1995-10-28) October 28, 1995 (age 28) Toledo, Ohio, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight	230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school	Pickerington Central (Pickerington, Ohio)
College	Ohio State (2014–2018)
NBA draft	2018: undrafted
Playing career	2018–present
Career history
2018–2019	Antwerp Giants
2019–2020	Sydney Kings
2020–present	Houston Rockets
Career highlights and awards
NBA All-Rookie First Team (2021) All-NBL First Team (2020) Belgian Cup winner (2019) Belgian League All-Star (2019) Belgian League All-Offensive Team (2019) Second-team All-Big Ten (2018) Big Ten All-Freshman Team (2015)
Stats   at NBA.com
Stats   at Basketball-Reference.com

Jae'Sean Antoine Tate (born October 28, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten Conference. Tate is represented by Beyond Athlete Management. ^[1] Tate started his career overseas before joining the Rockets in 2020.

Early life and high school career

Tate is the oldest son of Jermaine Tate, who played basketball at Ohio State in 1996–97 before transferring to Cincinnati and playing professionally overseas. ^[2] His mother, Cori Key, was stabbed to death by her boyfriend Damiene Boles on July 31, 2004. Boles was convicted of the murder three years later. After his mother's death, Tate was raised by his father and stepmom Jenice alongside their three children. Tate went through anger management to process his emotions and has a tattoo of a key on his leg. ^[3]

Tate attended Pickerington High School Central, where he excelled at basketball and football. He played defensive end and tight end before a shoulder injury cut his junior season short, and he focused on basketball from then on. ^[4] On the hardwood, Tate was a teammate of Caris LeVert and made the game-winning tip-in in a playoff win over Columbus Marion-Franklin as a freshman. ^[2] As a sophomore, his team went 26–2 and won the 2012 Division I championship defeating Toledo Whitmer in the final game. In both his junior and senior years, Tate went on to be a first-team all-conference player. He injured his shoulder as a junior, shortening his season, but still averaged 22.3 points, 12 rebounds, and three assists per game. Tate ended his high school career as the number 1 ranked player in Ohio and the 15th ranked forward in the nation in the ESPN top 100. ^[5]

College career

Tate boxes out Rutgers' Deshawn Freeman in 2017

As a freshman, Tate posted 8.8 points and 5 rebounds per game. ^[6] His averages climbed to 12.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game since becoming a full-time starter against Northwestern on January 22, 2015. Tate was a Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection. Despite standing 6'4", Tate sometimes played center on a Buckeyes team that featured 6'5" point guard D'Angelo Russell. ^[2] Tate averaged 11.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game as a sophomore. He missed the final seven games with a shoulder injury. ^[6] He was a Big Ten Honorable Mention selection. ^{[7] [8]}

Tate was an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection as a junior. ^{[9] [10]} As a junior, Tate led the Buckeyes in scoring with 14.3 points per game, taking the primary role on offense due to an injury to Keita Bates-Diop. Toward the end of his junior season, Tate contemplated giving up basketball and walking on to Ohio State's football team. He described a locker room situation in which players had completely given up on the team and did not even want to play in the NIT. A conversation with coach Thad Matta and assistant coach Greg Paulus persuaded Tate to return to the floor for his senior year. He had second thoughts after Matta was fired in favor of Chris Holtmann, but Holtmann and Tate developed a strong relationship. ^[4]

As a senior, Tate was a captain alongside a healthy Bates-Diop, and had some impressive moments including setting an Ohio State record going 10-for-10 from the field in a win over Northeastern in November 2017. Tate scored 14 points going 6-for-11 from the field in a comeback victory over Michigan in December. ^[4] He averaged 12.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game as a senior on an NCAA Tournament squad that finished 25-9. ^[11] He was named to the Second Team All-Big Ten by the coaches and honorable mention all-conference by the media. ^[12] Tate finished as Ohio State’s 19th-leading scorer with 1,512 points. After the season, he worked with coach Joey Burton to improve his shooting technique in preparation for a professional career. ^[13]

Professional career

Antwerp Giants (2018–2019)

After going undrafted in the 2018 NBA draft, Tate joined the Milwaukee Bucks for the 2018 NBA Summer League. ^[14] However, he was unable to play for the Bucks due to a fractured finger on his right hand. ^[15] On August 20, 2018, he signed in Belgium with the Antwerp Giants. ^[16] While with the Antwerp Giants, Tate was a Belgian League all-star and helped lead the Giants to their first Belgian Cup title in 12 years. In 42 league games, he averaged 10.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. He also averaged 13.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 24 BCL games.

Sydney Kings (2019–2020)

On July 22, 2019, Tate signed with the Sydney Kings of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) for the 2019–20 NBL season. ^[17] He averaged 16.4 points, 2 assists, and 5.8 rebounds per game and was named to the All-NBL First Team. ^[18]

Houston Rockets (2020–present)

On November 26, 2020, Tate signed with the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). ^[19] Tate made his NBA debut on December 26, playing 37 minutes against the Portland Trail Blazers; he recorded 13 points, four rebounds, and two assists in the overtime loss. ^[20] He started a team-high 58 games during the season and averaged 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. ^[21] Tate was selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team at the end of the season, becoming only the second undrafted player to claim such honors. ^{[21] [22]}

On December 1, 2021, Tate scored an NBA career-high 32 points while also adding 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 blocks, and 2 steals in a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, becoming only the second Houston Rockets player after Hakeem Olajuwon to achieve these totals in a single game. ^[23]

On July 6, Tate re-signed with the Rockets on a three year, $22.1 million contract. ^{[22] [24]} On January 15, 2023, the NBA suspended Tate for one game without pay for leaving the bench area during an altercation between the Rockets and the Sacramento Kings two days earlier. ^[25]

Career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

NBA

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2020–21	Houston	70	58	29.2	.506	.308	.694	5.3	2.5	1.2	.5	11.3
2021–22	Houston	78	77	26.4	.498	.312	.707	5.4	2.8	.9	.5	11.8
2022–23	Houston	31	7	21.8	.480	.283	.725	3.8	2.7	.7	.2	9.1
Career		179	142	26.7	.498	.307	.705	5.1	2.7	1.0	.5	11.2

Player profile

Standing at 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m), Tate plays the small forward and power forward positions. During his rookie season with the Houston Rockets, Tate gained a reputation as a strong defender, with his play often compared to PJ Tucker. ^[26] A predominately left-handed player with a strong drive, Tate finishes well at the rim, scoring 69% of his attempts as a rookie. ^[27]

References

1. "Jae'Sean Tate". www.jaesean.com. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
2. Landis, Bill (March 11, 2015). "Ohio State basketball: How freshman Jae'Sean Tate became a vital part of Buckeyes' present and future". The Plain-Dealer . Retrieved June 5, 2018.
3. Jardy, Adam (November 5, 2017). "Jae'Sean Tate perseveres after mom's murder when he was 8". The Columbus Dispatch . Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
4. Landis, Bill (February 20, 2018). "Ohio State basketball: Jae'Sean Tate has given Buckeyes everything, and getting the senior season he deserved". The Plain Dealer . Retrieved June 5, 2018.
5. Helwagen, Steve (February 20, 2018). "Celebrating Jae'Sean: Tate's 20 biggest games as a Buckeye". 247 Sports. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
6. Landis, Bill (March 24, 2016). "Can Jae'Sean Tate become Nigel Hayes? Why we've only seen 60 percent of Ohio State's forward". The Plain Dealer . Retrieved June 5, 2018.
7. "Big Ten Unveils Men's Basketball Postseason Honors on BTN: Michigan State's Valentine named Big Ten Player of the Year". BigTen.org. CBS Interactive. March 7, 2016. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
8. "2015-16 All-Big Ten Men's Basketball Team" (PDF). CSTV.com. March 7, 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 6, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
9. "Men's Basketball Postseason Honors: Purdue's Swanigan named Big Ten Player of the Year". BigTen.org. CBS Interactive. March 6, 2017. Archived from the original on March 7, 2017. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
10. "2016-17 All-Big Ten Men's Basketball Team" (PDF). CSTV.com . March 6, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 7, 2017. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
11. Stacy, Mitch (March 18, 2018). "With new coach, Ohio State creates season to remember". Associated Press . Retrieved June 5, 2018.
12. "View the 2017-18 All-Big Ten Men's Basketball Team". Big Ten Network. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
13. Jardy, Adam (April 19, 2018). "Jae'Sean Tate shooting for pro career". The Columbus Dispatch . Archived from the original on November 30, 2018. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
14. Kosileski, William (June 22, 2018). "Former Ohio State forward Jae'Sean Tate to join Bucks for NBA Summer League". Landof10.com. Archived from the original on August 21, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
15. "Bucks' Jae'Sean Tate: Sitting out with fractured finger". cbssports.com.au. July 12, 2018. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
16. "Telenet Giants sign rookie Jae'Sean Tate". sportando.basketball. August 20, 2018. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
17. "Kings add Jae'Sean Tate". NBL.com.au. July 22, 2019. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
18. Harrison, Phil (February 17, 2020). "Former Ohio State forward Jae'Sean Tate makes NBL First Team". Buckeyes Wire. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
19. "Rockets Announce Roster Additions". NBA.com. November 26, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
20. "Jae'Sean Tate Game by Game Stats and Performance". ESPN. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
21. DuBose, Ben (June 17, 2021). "Rockets forward Jae'Sean Tate named to NBA's All-Rookie first team". USA Today. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
22. "Rockets Re-Sign Jae'Sean Tate to Multi-Year Contract". www.nba.com. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
23. Lind, Andrew. "Former Ohio State Forward Jae'Sean Tate's Career Night Lifts Houston Rockets". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
24. Iko, Kelly. "Jae'Sean Tate's new deal, rookie preparation and more to watch from the Rockets". The Athletic. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
25. "NBA Communications on Twitter: "The following was released by the NBA."". Twitter. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
26. Feigen, Jonathan (February 21, 2021). "Rockets ready return to more extensive use of small-ball lineups". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
27. "Jae'Sean Tate 2020-21 Shooting". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 13, 2021.

External links

• Ohio State Buckeyes bio