Jae'Sean Tate

Tate is the kind of connective forward every contender eventually wishes it had: undrafted out of Ohio State in 2018, he built his case in Belgium and Australia's NBL before Houston gave him a shot in 2020. He answered by making the All-Rookie First Team, just the second undrafted player ever to do it. His value lives in the margins the box score barely records — cross-matching onto guards and bigs alike, setting the screens that spring shooters, and pushing off the defensive glass to beat set defenses. Five seasons in Houston hardened that role, and he spent 2025-26 back with the Rockets on a minimum deal as veteran glue on a young, rising roster. His outside shot has always been the swing skill; the effort never has been.