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HOUSTON -- Reserve forward Jae’Sean Tate will miss multiple weeks for the Rockets after suffering a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his right knee. The injury occurred when Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns collided with Tate during Saturday’s game at New York.
Tate immediately limped to Houston’s locker room in obvious discomfort, and he did not return. He was evaluated further upon the team’s return home.
In comments prior to Monday’s matchup versus Utah, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said the typical absence for Tate’s injury is four-to-six weeks. However, there is some variance, and Houston will know more when Tate is re-evaluated in two weeks.
After undergoing ankle surgery last offseason, Tate has played only sparingly in the 2025-26 season, though he showed promising signs in recent games. During last Thursday’s win at Charlotte, scored 7 points in 15 minutes while making 3-of-4 shots (75.0%), including 1-of-2 from 3-point range (50%).
Now 30 years old, Tate is a physical and versatile forward whose defense is usually trustworthy for Udoka and the Rockets.
With Tate sidelined, that could open up a path to minutes for Josh Okogie, a defensive oriented guard who had fallen out of the rotation in recent games.
The Rockets are also continuing to steadily increase the role of reserve forward Dorian Finney-Smith, who can now play 20 to 25 minutes per game, according to Udoka.
Earlier this season, coming off a similar offseason ankle surgery to what Tate went through, Finney-Smith was limited to about 15 minutes per game and approximately five minutes per stint on the court.
Today, that five-minute restriction is no more, and Finney-Smith has played at least 20 minutes in three consecutive games after not doing so in any of his first 19 games of 2025-26.
Finney-Smith is still not cleared to play on both ends of back-to-backs, which will leave Houston short-handed for either Wednesday’s home matchup versus Sacramento (12-46) or Thursday’s road game at Orlando (30-26).
The Rockets do still have an open roster spot, which could perhaps be filled with an upcoming signing from the NBA’s buyout market. At least to a small extent, that might help Houston (34-21, No. 4 in Western Conference standings) mitigate a wave of long-term injuries to veterans including Fred VanVleet, Steven Adams, and now Tate.
More: As decision looms, Rockets see attractive options in NBA’s buyout market
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets expect Jae’Sean Tate (MCL sprain) to miss multiple weeks
Continue reading...
Tate immediately limped to Houston’s locker room in obvious discomfort, and he did not return. He was evaluated further upon the team’s return home.
In comments prior to Monday’s matchup versus Utah, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said the typical absence for Tate’s injury is four-to-six weeks. However, there is some variance, and Houston will know more when Tate is re-evaluated in two weeks.
After undergoing ankle surgery last offseason, Tate has played only sparingly in the 2025-26 season, though he showed promising signs in recent games. During last Thursday’s win at Charlotte, scored 7 points in 15 minutes while making 3-of-4 shots (75.0%), including 1-of-2 from 3-point range (50%).
Now 30 years old, Tate is a physical and versatile forward whose defense is usually trustworthy for Udoka and the Rockets.
With Tate sidelined, that could open up a path to minutes for Josh Okogie, a defensive oriented guard who had fallen out of the rotation in recent games.
The Rockets are also continuing to steadily increase the role of reserve forward Dorian Finney-Smith, who can now play 20 to 25 minutes per game, according to Udoka.
Earlier this season, coming off a similar offseason ankle surgery to what Tate went through, Finney-Smith was limited to about 15 minutes per game and approximately five minutes per stint on the court.
Today, that five-minute restriction is no more, and Finney-Smith has played at least 20 minutes in three consecutive games after not doing so in any of his first 19 games of 2025-26.
Finney-Smith is still not cleared to play on both ends of back-to-backs, which will leave Houston short-handed for either Wednesday’s home matchup versus Sacramento (12-46) or Thursday’s road game at Orlando (30-26).
The Rockets do still have an open roster spot, which could perhaps be filled with an upcoming signing from the NBA’s buyout market. At least to a small extent, that might help Houston (34-21, No. 4 in Western Conference standings) mitigate a wave of long-term injuries to veterans including Fred VanVleet, Steven Adams, and now Tate.
More: As decision looms, Rockets see attractive options in NBA’s buyout market
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets expect Jae’Sean Tate (MCL sprain) to miss multiple weeks
Continue reading...
