Houston Rockets forward Jae’Sean Tate is expected to be sidelined for an extended period after being diagnosed with a Grade 2 medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain in his right knee, head coach Ime Udoka confirmed to reporters, including Michael Shapiro of chron.com.
The injury is projected to keep Tate out for approximately four to six weeks as he begins the recovery process.
According to Matt Young of The Houston Chronicle, Tate suffered the injury during the second quarter of Saturday’s loss in New York.
Udoka explained that the veteran forward will undergo another evaluation in about two weeks, though he acknowledged that injuries of this type typically require a recovery window within the four-to-six week range.
The 30-year-old, who has spent his entire six-year NBA career with Houston, has seen limited playing time during the 2025/26 season, averaging 8.4 minutes per game across 34 appearances.
Despite the reduced role, Tate had recently worked his way back into the rotation shortly before the All-Star break.
He played 13 minutes against the Clippers on February 11 and followed that with a 15-minute outing in Charlotte on February 19 before suffering the knee injury two days later.