Rockets wing Jae’Sean Tate enjoyed being able to hone his raw defensive promise at the pro level in his rookie season, writes Kelly Iko of The Athletic.
“If you pay attention to later in the season,” Tate told Iko, “I started to play without my hands and try to beat (players he was guarding) to the spot. I think my angles have improved tremendously since the beginning of the season, just picking my angles and how to cut people off.”
Iko notes that Rockets head coach Stephen Silas has entrusted a variety of defensive assignments across a variety of positions to the 6’4″ Tate, who ranks in the top 97th percentile of league players in his ability to guard all of the NBA’s positions.
“I’ve been grateful enough to be able to play different positions throughout this year,” Tate said of his positional versatility for the depleted Rockets this season. “And for them to give me that freedom to play point guard — I played a little bit a point guard (in the past) but to actually start at the one certain games and be the floor general where I got other younger players telling me to lead us out there — that was a big eye-opener for me because I’ve never been in a position like that.”
There’s more out of the Lone Star State:
- Despite a lackluster season in Houston that will send the 17-55 Rockets to their first lottery appearance in years, new head coach Stephen Silas still has the approval of owner Tilman Fertitta, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
- As Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan enters free agency, he is amenable to testing the market, writes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. The 32-year-old vet, a four-time All-Star during his time with the Raptors, acknowledged his appreciation for the three years he has spent in San Antonio. “It’s definitely an honor to play for this organization,” DeRozan said when the club’s season officially concluded this week. “Everything they did for me and how they treated me, it was definitely A1.”
- Mavericks All-Star guard Luka Doncic and his team are applying lessons learned during last season’s Orlando “bubble” playoffs for Dallas’ second consecutive first-round matchup with the Clippers, writes Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. “I think last year helped this year,” said Mavericks forward Dorian Finney-Smith. “When the game goes down to the wire, we know we’ve got to get that one more stop or that one more rebound.” With Doncic and fellow prime Dallas scorer Kristaps Porzingis going cold in the fourth quarter, Doncic knew to turn to the team’s role players to help ice a Game 1 victory over the Clippers.
Mavs want to take down Clippers
Joke
Lakers and Clippers have traded away their first round picks to 2027
It’s too late to send both Lakers and Clippers to play lottery
Maybe next year
Can’t believe Mavs beat the Clippers. Didn’t see the the gm. But this should not go six if Clippers are real. Clippers don’t make the Finals this year. I break them up . Simple as that
The Mavs beat them twice during the year, once by 50. Mavs didn’t have KP or Brunson last year. The game was not a fluke
Told us
Tate is a solid young player. Rockets should be in full rebuild mode. There are no short cuts. I’d even move Woods if I could get a good deal. That top 4 pick is huge for them. Green could be best talent in draft. Even Mobley to has a better future than Woods to me.
If they can get the 2nd or 3rd pick in the draft it’s possible the Rockets could end up with Mobley. But it will probably take some time for him to develop with his lack of bulk, so Mobley might be best suited at PF as a Rocket alongside Wood at center. I’m thinking Green ends up at #4, he doesn’t seem quite as impressive to me as the other three. Obviously I would be happy to get any of them and not drop to #5 sending the pick to OKC.
All four of top prospects in 2021 look better than all current rookies.
Of course both Mobley and Cunningham have a lot more potential than Wood, but he’s still a solid player to build around even if he’s not a star.
Derozen to Miami.