{"id":162317,"date":"2025-10-11T08:50:04","date_gmt":"2025-10-11T12:50:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=162317"},"modified":"2025-10-11T08:50:04","modified_gmt":"2025-10-11T12:50:04","slug":"rockets-injury-update-jaesean-tate-surgery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/10\/11\/rockets-injury-update-jaesean-tate-surgery\/","title":{"rendered":"Rockets Injury Update Confirms Veteran’s Offseason Surgery"},"content":{"rendered":"

With many focusing on Houston Rockets floor general Fred VanVleet<\/a>‘s torn ACL, the team’s latest update turns the attention towards another veteran. This week, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka confirmed that five-year veteran Jae\u2019Sean Tate<\/a> underwent offseason ankle surgery, thus adding another name to Houston\u2019s growing injury list just two weeks before the regular season.<\/p>\n

After preseason practice, Udoka told reporters Tate recently had surgery to address a right ankle impingement, an issue that had long lingered. Tate has already begun light workouts but is expected to miss the rest of the preseason. Udoka added that Dorian Finney-Smith<\/a>, who is recovering from the same injury, remains sidelined and will likely be unavailable for opening night.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re in the same boat,\u201d Udoka says. \u201cTate is a little ahead in his rehab, but both are progressing well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rockets Injury Update Confirms Jae’Sean Tate’s Offseason Surgery<\/h2>\n

Tate\u2019s surgery marks the third significant offseason procedure<\/a> for a Rockets rotation player. The 28-year-old forward had actually been managing the injury for years<\/a> before electing for surgery to ensure long-term stability, according to Houston Chronicle reporter Danielle Lerner.<\/p>\n

\"Dec
Dec 29, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Jae’Sean Tate (8) drives with the ball on a fast break during the first quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Last season, Tate averaged 7.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per contest (58 games), often providing defensive versatility and secondary playmaking off the bench. His absence could open temporary opportunities for Tari Eason<\/a>, who has impressed in preseason action<\/a>. With that in mind, the finer details of Tate\u2019s recovery timeline haven’t been made public. However, the expectation is that he’ll return early in the upcoming regular season, if progress continues as planned.<\/p>\n

Udoka confirms Tate has begun on-court shooting drills and is \u201cmoving comfortably.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finney-Smith Still Weeks Away<\/h3>\n

As for Finney-Smith, Udoka states that the nine-year veteran remains in the late stages of rehab. He’s participating in non-contact workouts and conditioning but has yet to be cleared for live play. Acquired in the offseason<\/a> to boost Houston\u2019s perimeter defense, Finney-Smith is expected to miss at least the first few games of the season. However, the medical staff is being cautious, prioritizing full mobility over an early return.<\/p>\n

For Udoka, the setbacks are frustrating but not alarming. \u201cWe\u2019re deep enough to manage,\u201d he says. \u201cHealth is what matters most right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Balancing Patience and Preparation<\/h3>\n

The Rockets’ preseason plan has shifted toward rotation flexibility as they await Tate and Finney-Smith\u2019s returns. Players like Eason, Aaron Holiday<\/a>, and Jeff Green<\/a> have absorbed additional minutes, giving Udoka an extended look at lineup chemistry.<\/p>\n

While not severe, the injuries will test Houston early on, particularly at the defensive end. To that point, both Tate and Finney-Smith are key to Udoka\u2019s switch-heavy defensive identity. With the regular season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder approaching, the Rockets’ challenge will be blending urgency with caution.<\/p>\n

For now, the recent Rockets injury update signals patience and optimism. Both forwards are expected to be back within the first month of the season, though Udoka made it clear the team won\u2019t rush them. \u201cThey\u2019re veterans. They know their bodies,\u201d he surmises. \u201cWe\u2019ll get them back when they\u2019re fully right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a9 Troy Taormina-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With many focusing on Houston Rockets floor general Fred VanVleet‘s torn ACL, the team’s latest update turns the attention towards another veteran. This week, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka confirmed that five-year veteran Jae\u2019Sean Tate underwent offseason ankle surgery, thus adding another name to Houston\u2019s growing injury list just two weeks before the regular season. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5653,"featured_media":162326,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[31,1608,62,3],"tags":[2272,3821,35639,4745],"class_list":["post-162317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rockets","category-basketball","category-nba","category-news","tag-dorian-finney-smith","tag-ime-udoka","tag-jaesean-tate","tag-nba-injuries"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5653"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162317"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162317\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":162327,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162317\/revisions\/162327"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/162326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}