Similar to Dorian Finney-Smith, Rockets forward Jae’Sean Tate has also missed time this preseason due to an offseason ankle surgery. Tate, however, appears slightly closer to a return.
Jae’Sean Tate is still ramping up after his ankle injury last postseason and won’t play for the Rockets in preseason. Tate is doing non-contact but is ahead of Dorian Finney-Smith in his recovery.
Ime Udoka said he hopes Tate will be ready for the regular-season opener. pic.twitter.com/pCo3udu9OY
— Danielle Lerner (@danielle_lerner) October 10, 2025
Dorian Finney-Smith isn’t the only defensive minded forward on the Houston Rockets who underwent ankle surgery in the 2025 offseason.
Jae’Sean Tate, who missed Houston’s 2025 playoff series against the Golden State Warriors with what the team termed a “right ankle impingement,” underwent a similar procedure to the one Finney-Smith had.
Head coach Ime Udoka confirmed the news at Friday’s team practice, and Tate — who didn’t appear in either of Houston’s first two preseason games — addressed the issue shortly thereafter. NBA teams aren’t required to disclose injuries for exhibitions, so the reasoning wasn’t clear at the time.
“The initial injury probably happened my second year (2021-22 season),” said Tate, who is ramping up his workouts. “It’s a credit to the weight room and training staff that we got all we could out of that ankle before I had to get it fixed up, I feel way better than I did at the end of last season, already. So, it’s just (about) strengthening and getting confidence and playing with that power that I always play with… is the key to get back out there.”
In his third season, Tate missed multiple months to start the 2022-23 campaign with what the team called right ankle soreness.
As for 2025-26, both Finney-Smith and Tate have been ruled out for the remainder of the preseason. But Udoka did say that Tate is slightly further along in his rehabilitation — and in contrast to Finney-Smith, the Rockets are hopeful of Tate being available by the Oct. 21 regular-season opener. Udoka has already said that Finney-Smith is expected to miss regular-season time, though he is a partial participant in practice activities.
“I’m going day-by-day,” Tate told Rockets Wire regarding a potential return by the opener. “I hope that’s the case.”
Whenever he is cleared, Tate expressed optimism that he’ll be in better physical condition than he has been in some time.
“I feel like I’ve been on a leg and a half the last couple of years, so looking to just be able to move a little better, and not be in my head about it… I can’t wait,” said Tate, who re-signed with the Rockets this offseason.
Entering his sixth NBA season, all with the Rockets, Tate is the team’s longest tenured active player. From the 2020-21 through 2024-25 seasons, Tate averaged 8.3 points (49.3% FG, 30.9% on 3-pointers), 4.1 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 21.6 minutes per game.
Now 29 years old, Tate shot a career-best 34.8% from 3-point range last season. When paired with strong defense, that combination of skills made him valuable to Udoka, who highly values defensive intensity and leadership.
Tate is also a useful ball-handler and facilitator, which could potentially be valuable to a Rockets team that lost veteran guard Fred VanVleet to a serious knee injury last month.
With Finney-Smith and Tate sidelined in the preseason, that has opened up more reserve minutes for Tari Eason and Josh Okogie. When all are healthy, Udoka and the Rockets should have a surplus of wing defenders, which can allow Houston to be cautious with minutes over a long season.