Brooklyn Nets: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has been fantastic

Even though the Brooklyn Nets are still winless, there have been plenty of positives so far this season. Brook Lopez has proven he can be a feature player, Bojan Bogdanovic has shown his potential, and the Nets’ bench has been much better than expected. However, there is no bigger positive than seeing Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s play so far. After playing well coming off the bench, Hollis-Jefferson earned a starting role and has proven that he deserves it.

One of the best aspects of Hollis-Jefferson’s game is his active hands on defense. Constantly trying to swipe and strip the ball from other players, he is absolutely relentless in his on-ball defense. He has managed to lock down nearly every player he has guarded, and he always seems to come up with key steals. In just 18.3 minutes per game, he is averaging 1.3 steals per game. He also does a great job forcing slashers to their off-hand, causing a lot of them to take bad shots. Hollis-Jefferson’s biggest strength is definitely on the defensive end.

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Oct 19, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (24) dunks the ball against the Boston Celtics during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Surprisingly, Hollis-Jefferson has also excelled on the boards. Going back to the active hands, he has shown a relentless effort when crashing the boards, especially on the offensive end. He always fights for every loose ball and rebound, and even if he can’t grab it, he tries to tip it to a teammate. The Nets have struggled in a lot of areas this season, but one area that has been solid (surprisingly) has been rebounding. Hollis-Jefferson is a big reason for this, because even though he plays shooting guard, he still manages to snag a lot of rebounds.

One of the biggest surprises for Hollis-Jefferson this season has been his passing. Despite coming out of college as a raw, athletic, defensive oriented player, his passing has been superb. He has been great at penetrating the defense, and he always seems to find open players under the basket. Countless times this season, he has driven to the hoop and found Brook Lopez right under the basket for an easy layup. When a team has a guy that can do this, they will get a lot of high percentage shots.

While Hollis-Jefferson does have a lot of positives to his game, there are still plenty of areas where he could improve. One of the biggest issues in his game is his free throw shooting. He has been awful from the line, especially in clutch moments. Against the Lakers on Friday, he missed 3 of 4 key free throws late down the stretch. And, against the Bucks, he shot just 2 of 4 from the line. Overall this season, he is shooting just 37.5 percent from the strike. Because he is known for his slashing abilities, his free throw shooting has to become a priority to improve in.

Overall, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has been a great addition to the Brooklyn Nets this season. His defense, rebounding, and passing have been terrific. If he can add more offensive skills, however, he will become a star in this league.