6. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s Killer Crossover
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson came into the season with high expectations and a drive to show that he was a key player to the future of the franchise. The defensive-minded swingman knew he had to improve offensively if he wanted to crack the starting lineup for the Nets.
By this December game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Hollis-Jefferson had not switched from small forward to power forward yet. He was struggling to get anything going on the offensive end. This game at home was more of the same struggle as he only shot 3-for-7 from the field for seven points in 17 minutes of action.
Even with his playing time at a lull, Hollis-Jefferson was never shy about showing off his great athletic ability and sometimes, his solid ball-handling. It was all on display during a play late in the game where his great defensive ability set up a play to be made on offense.
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The victim, Bucks point guard Malcolm Brogdon, was in the wrong place at the wrong time. An inbound pass was thrown to mid-court. Bucks’ power forward Jabari Parker attempted to steal the ball, but Hollis-Jefferson used his length to recover it.
It all went downhill for Brogdon from there. He stepped in front of a driving Hollis-Jefferson and was victim of a killer crossover. Brogdon endedd up on his backside. Hollis-Jefferson finished the play at the basket with a nice contested layup and a highlight for the season.
Plays like these and the improvement after the position switch give the coaching staff and fans hope that Hollis-Jefferson can continue to improve and be around for a long time.