Height: 6’7
Weight: 211
Year: Sophomore
Position: Small Forward
2014-2015 NCAA Statistics:
11.2 PTS 6.8 REB 1.6 AST 1.2 STL 50.2 FG% 20.7 3PT% 70.7 FT%
Draft Projection: Mid-Late 1st Round
NBA Player Comparison: Thaddeus Young
One thing you will notice in the above highlight video is Rondae’s incredible athleticism on both sides of the ball. He plays great on-ball defense and creates problems on offense with his incredible length. Hollis-Jefferson has been highlighted as one of the more underrated players in this draft-class and rightfully so. It’s odd to see him dropping low in the 1st Round in most mock drafts, but this is a deep draft and one that has a lot of promising young players. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is one of them.
There are a couple important weaknesses within Rondae’s game that he must improve on this off-season. His ball-handling is atrocious right now considering what he is capable of. I know he can improve on that. Also, his jump shot needs work. I will have a problem with him if he takes more than 2 shots from deep in a game at this point. He must either gain confidence from outside or remove it from his repertoire. I’d love to see him work on his post-game as many opposing players will have a lot of trouble covering him with his long arms. Needless to say, Hollis-Jefferson has a lot to work on, but he’s still a good player.
I’m intrigued by Rondae’s potential. I compare him to Thaddeus Young because of his weak jump-shot, especially from long-range, poor ball-handling, and incredible length. Thad Young had similar problems with his 3-point shot, so he worked on it over and over again, but started to rely on it during the game too much while it was still weak. It greatly affected the other parts of his game and he suffered because of it. Now, he is in a tough situation in Brooklyn. That’s why it might be best for Rondae to focus on the other weaknesses and leave the 3-point shot as something he might be able to improve on later in his career after he establishes himself. Right now, Hollis-Jefferson’s size and length alone will earn him minutes in the NBA, but it might not be too long into his career before he becomes a starter. Again,keep in mind that this is contingent on the fact that he works on his weaknesses.
Future Professional Potential: Solid Starter
