Rockets: Where Jae’Sean Tate would be drafted in a 2018 draft do-over

Jae’Sean Tate, by no fault of his own, has had to take the long route to the NBA. Following the steps of former Houston Rockets players like Mario Elie, Patrick Beverley, and P.J. Tucker, the Rockets rookie went undrafted and played overseas before making it to the NBA.

Despite being named Second-Team All-Big Ten in his final season at Ohio State, Tate was not drafted in the 2018 draft. There were 60 players drafted that year, and Tate was not amongst them.

Tate played in Belgium that year before making his way to Australia, where he met current Rockets assistant Will Weaver, who was the head coach of the Sydney Kings.

Where Houston Rockets rookie Jae’Sean Tate would have gone in the 2018 NBA Draft

2018 was a stacked draft with players like Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Shai Gilgeous- Alexander, and Deandre Ayton, but Tate has shown this year that he not only belongs in that draft but should have at the very least been a lottery pick.

So the question is if the 2018 draft was held today, where would Tate land in that draft? Let’s look back at the 2018 draft and if Tate would have been one of the first names called that night.

Next: Re-doing the 2018 NBA Draft

The 2018 NBA Draft if it was held today

As mentioned earlier, the 2018 NBA Draft class had multiple big names at the top and middle of the draft. When you have players who have already become not just All-Stars but superstars in a few short years, you know the draft was special.

I don’t think there is much debate about who would be in the top-three, even though Collin Sexton could be as high as third, depending on how you look at the statistics.

1. Luka Doncic

2. Trae Young

3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Despite being drafted in the middle of the first round, Gilgeous-Alexander has shown that he is one of the top players in that draft. Four through six would probably go in this order:

4. Collin Sexton

5. Michael Porter Jr.

6. Deandre Ayton

This is where it becomes interesting. You have players like Jaren Jackson Jr., who has played really well when on the court, but has missed all of this year and parts of the first two years of his career. Marvin Bagley has also missed a lot of time for the Sacramento Kings.

You also have players like Robert Williams, who has emerged this year as a good center for the Boston Celtics and looks like a prime Shaquille O’Neal every time he plays against the Houston Rockets. Not to mention players like Mikal Bridges and Gary Trent Jr., but Tate’s overall game ranks better than any of the three players just mentioned.

Tate, however, has looked like anything but a rookie this year for the Rockets. That’s why I think Jaren Jackson Jr. would be the seventh pick, followed by Tate at number eight.

Next: Why Tate belongs in the Top 10

Why Houston Rockets forward Jae’Sean Tate would go in the top 10

Based on the re-draft above, Tate has gone from an undrafted player when the draft was first held to a top-10 player from that year’s group of players.

Tate is a versatile forward who can play in the post, guard multiple positions, and has shown good passing abilities. Tate is averaging 10.4 points in his first year, 5.4 rebounds, and almost two assists a game, while shooting over 51 percent from the field.

The Houston Rockets rookie forward has also shown elite footwork in the paint.

https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1375984744337444865?s=20

As if that wasn’t impressive enough, here is another clip of Tate showing off his fancy footwork.

Rookie's Footwork ? pic.twitter.com/NHvNsZZOIi

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) March 30, 2021

Considering Tate’s arsenal of post moves, it should come as no surprise that the Houston Rockets 25-year-old forward ranks top-20 in the entire NBA in layup field goal percentage.

Your most and least efficient players at layups this season (min. 100 attempts), per @Sportradar pic.twitter.com/6E5FtXe1tx

— Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) April 2, 2021

Tate, as mentioned earlier, has also improved as a facilitator.

? @o_tate_ pic.twitter.com/NKW2C5rQhs

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) April 3, 2021

Probably the best part of Tate’s well-rounded game is on the defensive end. Tate does a great job of moving his feet while being in a great position on practically every defensive play he is involved in.

.@o_tate_ doing it all tonight! pic.twitter.com/3k6uUMo8zJ

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) March 27, 2021

The Houston Rockets’ sensational rookie not only plays great positional defense but always gives maximum effort on both ends.

Even though his 3-point percentage still needs a little work, he is already a good, sometimes, elite defensive player who can score on any player in the league (centers included).

Tate is the type of player any team could use, whether they are in the rebuilding phase or are contending for a championship.

Despite going undrafted in 2018, Tate has shown that he would be a top-10 lottery pick if that draft were held today.

The one team that is glad that didn’t happen is the Houston Rockets.