The first-team NBA All-Rookie selections this year were as follows: The No. 1 overall pick in 2020 NBA Draft, the No. 3 overall pick in 2020 NBA Draft, the No. 12 overall pick in 2020 NBA Draft, the No. 19 overall pick in 2020 NBA Draft and an undrafted 25-year-old who spent the past two years playing professionally overseas.
The odds weren't ever in Jae'Sean Tate's favor. Evidently, that didn't matter.
The first-year Houston Rockets guard/forward earned a spot on the NBA's first-team all-rookie squad, which was released on Thursday night. Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Tyrese Haliburton and Saddiq Bey joined him as honorees.
The 2020-21 NBA All-Rookie First Team:
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) June 18, 2021
LaMelo Ball
Saddiq Bey
Anthony Edwards
Tyrese Haliburton
Jae'Sean Tate pic.twitter.com/3YPdTmZnIm
Tate averaged 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 29.2 minutes per game for the rebuilding Rockets. He started 58 of the 70 games he played, shooting 50.6 percent from the field, 30.8 percent from the 3-point line and 69.4 percent from the foul line. The gritty, multi-positional rookie became a fan favorite in Houston for many of the reasons he won fans over in Columbus.
Tate, a former Ohio State Buckeye, began his professional career in in 2018 with the Antwerp Giants in Belgium before leaving for the Sydney Kings in Australia. Those two stints earned him looks from the NBA where he showed he clearly belongs.
Congratulations to JT. Special dude. Easy to bet on @o_tate_ https://t.co/vmu4QjtOHP
— Chris Holtmann (@ChrisHoltmann) June 18, 2021
