Houston Rockets forward Jae'Sean Tate is one of those players in the NBA who is really difficult to pin down to a position. Ten years ago, these players were called “tweeners” and were disparaged in a league that valued positional rigidity. Now, the opposite is true: The more positions players are able to play, the more lineups they can fit into, and the more value they present to a team. Tate is the kind of player every team in the NBA is looking for.
“We've been moving him around quite a bit,” said Silas of Tate during Rockets training camp. “Almost every position and all different playing groups.”
This isn't far off from what the Rockets did with Tate last season.
Time spent at position in 2020-21 for Jae'Sean Tate with Rockets:
Shooting Guard – 12%
Small Forward – 65%
Power Forward – 22%
“He's so versatile that I really don't want to put him in a box,” continued Silas. “I've been kind of putting him all over the place and taking a look to see where he fits best.”
This includes whether or not Tate is better as a starter or as a bench player. As promised, the Rockets haven't experimented much during preseason, but the one area where they've taken liberties is at starting small forward. Tate is slated to start at small forward Monday night in Toronto, making it three different starting small forwards for Houston in as many games. Going into the season, Tate was likely favorite to earn that fifth starting position, but it seems Silas wants to take another look at it before finalizing.
“It's not about who starts”, said Tate. “It's about winning and that's what we're trying to do.”
The Rockets love the spacing that Eric Gordon provides as well as his strength as a one-on-one defender, so they want to give that a look before making a final call. However, Houston's starting lineup has been so bad defensively that Tate seems to make the most sense, given his strength as a help defender. Unless Kevin Porter Jr. and Tate have made significant strides with their shooting this summer, it appears floor spacing will be a concern for them this season.
“Being that Swiss Army knife,” said Tate when asked about his positional preference on the Rockets. “Being able to be plugged into different spots. It makes you easier to put into places and able to play more positions which ultimately leads to more playing time.”
Tate drew a lot of P.J. Tucker comparisons last season which is fitting because Tucker was also asked to do that for Houston. Whether it was small forward, power forward, or center, Tucker was willing to play that role and he racked up a ton of mileage in Houston because of that. It's no surprise that Tate ended up playing the most minutes on last year's Rockets team for providing similar value. Houston was 8.4 points per 100 possessions better when Tate was on the team, primarily due to his defensive impact, a fact which magnifies his importance to this roster.
“I'm still trying to make a name for myself and build what I did last year,” said Tate. “I want to try and give whatever this team needs. Right now it's that energy and effort. Whether I'm playing the one, the two, whatever they need. That's just my focus.”
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