Houston Rockets forward Jae’Sean Tate remains in the top five of NBA rookies for the 2020-21 season, per Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype.
In Kalbrosky’s latest power rankings, Tate checks in at No. 5 — trailing only Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball, Sacramento’s Tyrese Haliburton, Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, and New York’s Immanuel Quickley.
A versatile 6-foot-4 forward with tremendous defensive skills, Tate is averaging 10.8 points (52.1% FG, 32.8% on 3-pointers), 5.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 28.7 minutes per game. He’s also proven to be quite durable, as the only member of the Rockets to have played in every game of the season to date. Regarding Tate’s showing, Kalbrosky writes:
Houston has counted on Tate for 28 minutes per game and he has used the time well. He has scored and grabbed a rebound in all 50 games that he has played thus far and he is constantly making an impact on both sides of the floor.
Within the last month, Tate now has finished a game with four steals on two different occasions, showing promising signs as a defensive playmaker. He is a high-energy hustle player who leads rookies in loose balls recovered (54), charges drawn (12) and contested three-pointers (146) in 2020-21.
Overall, Tate currently leads all rookies in FiveThirtyEight.com’s advanced metric RAPTOR Wins Above Replacement (RAPTOR WAR) and Basketball Reference’s Win Shares category.
You have to tip your cap to someone like Tate, who worked his way from Belgium to Australia and then successfully maneuvering into a starting role in the NBA.
Kalbrosky’s complete 2020-21 rookie analysis can be read here.
Jae’Sean Tate (@o_tate_) leads rookies in loose balls recovered, charges drawn + contested three-pointers in 2020-21. He also leads rookies in @FiveThirtyEight‘s RAPTOR Wins Above Replacement.
From my latest on @hoopshype: https://t.co/wPcFIh43Nf #Rocketspic.twitter.com/VdX5SOfA1d
— Bryan Kalbrosky (@BryanKalbrosky) April 8, 2021