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Rumors: Nets Willing to Listen to Offers for Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

By Sandy Mui

Nov 23, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets small forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (24) shoots over Boston Celtics small forward Jae Crowder (99) during the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 23, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets small forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (24) shoots over Boston Celtics small forward Jae Crowder (99) during the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Brooklyn Nets have a plethora of young talent. Some could even be used as trade assets. The latest Net to be in trade rumors is Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.

The Brooklyn Nets are still winless in 2017 and don’t have much to look forward to for the rest of the season. That being said, it’s rather common to see their name included in the latest NBA trade rumors.

According to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, the Nets are willing to listen to other NBA teams’ offers for second-year player Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.

"Hollis-Jefferson’s shot is still busted, and all indications are the Nets will listen when teams call about him, league sources say. But he’s a tenacious defender who is better than you think at weirdo herky-jerky drives on offense."

In his piece, Lowe discussed Hollis-Jefferson and rookie Caris LeVert. He described both players as “two versatile kiddos flashing more playmaking chops than anyone expected at this point.” He even went as far as to say that “the Nets are almost fun when they throw LeVert and Hollis-Jefferson out there together.”

Calling the Nets ‘fun’ in any context says a lot, considering the kind of season they’ve been having. However, this is all the more reason Hollis-Jefferson can be considered a viable trade chip.

RELATED STORY: How RHJ Can Turn His Season Around

As far as RHJ’s season goes, it’s been… rocky. The 22-year-old is coming off a year in which he only played 29 games due to a right ankle injury. Additionally, another slight ankle injury in late November forced him to miss three games.

Since then, the Nets have been easing Hollis-Jefferson back into the lineup. However, he has only started in one of the Nets’ last 22 contests. His minutes have also been drastically reduced in this timeframe, dropping from 24.8 in Brooklyn’s first 14 games, to 19.8 after he returned.

MUST READ: The Nets Team That Could Have Been

While his production is up (7.7 points per game compared to last season’s 5.8 per game), he’s struggled with his shot. Hollis-Jefferson’s field-goal percentage is an alarmingly low 38.1 percent. He’s even struggled scoring in the restricted area, with a clip of just 43.5 percent on shots less than five feet from the basket, per NBA.com.

Still, the potential is there, as Hollis-Jefferson is still young and has time to improve. While his shot form may not be the prettiest, teams might be interested in his defensive capabilities. As investigated by Ian Levy of FanSided, last season, Hollis-Jefferson became only the third rookie to have a block percentage of at least 1.6 percent and a steal percentage above 3.0 percent, at least since the three-point era.

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During the offseason, ESPN even included Hollis-Jefferson in its bold predictions for the 2016-17 fantasy basketball season, forecasting that the sophomore would lead the league in steals. This only speaks further to how RHJ’s defensive skills are recognized in the NBA community and media, even with the Nets’ lack of success.

In his 35 games this season, Hollis-Jefferson has continued to show his abilities on the defensive end. So far this season, RHJ ranks fifth among sophomore in steals per game with 1.1, with the likes of Justise Winslow, T.J. McConnell, D’Angelo Russell, and Larry Nance Jr. above him, according to NBA.com.

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With the trade deadline a month away, a team like the Nets, with few draft picks in the near future, will constantly be mentioned in trade rumors. There have already been reports that the Nets have locked in their asking price for Brook Lopez. RHJ is only the next Net to be in this conversation.

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