Toronto Raptors: Player grades based off preseason expectations
By Zach Wilson
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson: B-
When you sign Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, you know what you’re getting. A strong – versatile defender, a great rebounder for his size, and someone who will put his body on the line for the entirety of the game.
With that being said, he’s also someone with an extremely limited skill set offensively. He doesn’t have a fantastic jump shot, his finishing is decent, but one thing that surprised me was his ability to pass and create offense.
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Without a reliable shot, or good handles, let alone both, it can be difficult to play make with the ball. Hollis-Jefferson was solid at seeing cutters or kicking to shooters from the high-post and the block.
I also didn’t realize how strong of a defender Hollis-Jefferson was till this season, when Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka sat a lot of the year with injuries, causing Hollis-Jefferson to play some minutes at center.
One game especially that stands out to me is the February 10 game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, where both Gasol and Ibaka sat out, causing Hollis-Jefferson to start at center, and guard one of the best in the league, Karl Anthony-Towns. Towns was held to 5-of-13 shooting and looked like he couldn’t shake or out-muscle Hollis-Jefferson at all.
This was a great addition for a team that lost two fantastic defenders in Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, and he continues to play as a great defender and hustle-man.