On a per-minute basis, Jae’Sean Tate has been the worst-performing player on the 2025-26 Houston Rockets.
Granted, there is some obvious context to consider. First, Tate is coming off offseason ankle surgery, which limited the veteran forward’s participation at training camp and in the preseason.
Second, the Rockets (10-4) have won 10 of their last 12 games, overall. As a result, opportunities to knock off any rust haven’t been easy to come by, and the sample is very small.
With that in mind, Tate and the Rockets have come to an unconventional arrangement: The 30-year-old will spend time with Houston’s NBA G League developmental affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Vipers.
“This was a mutual decision by both parties to get Tate some minutes and find a rhythm,” writes Kelly Iko of Yahoo! Sports. “Tate was a DNP-CD (did not play, coach’s decision) in Friday’s loss to Denver and has totaled just 32 minutes of action this month.”
For NBA players, RGV is typically a spot for recent draft picks or younger prospects playing with the parent club on two-way contracts — at the moment, JD Davison, Isaiah Crawford, and Kevon Harris. Except in injury rehabilitation scenarios, it’s not typically a spot for healthy veterans in their 30s who have a fairly recent track record of NBA success.
Yet, Tate’s scenario is unique. At 30, there’s no reason to think he’s past his physical prime, so the Rockets aren’t going to give up on him after a few subpar outings. The most likely explanation is that he needs on-court, game minutes to get back in rhythm, yet as a contender, those minutes are hard to come by in Houston.
So, to get that opportunity, it seems Tate is willing to go back to the G League — where the Vipers have a pair of games against the Austin Spurs on Sunday and Monday.
After those two games, RGV won’t play again until Saturday. That will allow the Rockets to evaluate Tate’s status, mid-week, and decide whether he needs additional time before an inevitable NBA return. Eventually, the thinking is that Tate should be a valuable defensive option for head coach Ime Udoka, whose teams are often known for their hard-nosed, physical defense.
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: With minutes scarce, Rockets, Jae’Sean Tate agree on G League stint
Reporting by Ben DuBose, Rockets Wire / Rockets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
