Goal #1: Extend Hollis-Jefferson long-term
The Brooklyn Nets do not have many quality individual defenders on the perimeter. Hollis-Jefferson fits that bill, as he is a more than capable defender against 1-3 matchups, and is solid against small-ball 4’s. At 6-foot-7 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, he is a pest for opposing offenses.
He graded out in the 64th percentile defending PnR ball-handling scorers, the 61st percentile in defensive isolation, and in the 66th percentile defending spot-ups, per Synergy. He is a very effective on and off-ball defender, as he has 1.6 steals and 0.9 blocks per 36 minutes for his career, and has a career defensive box plus-minus of 1.6, per Basketball Reference. He is also a very good rebounder, as he has 8.9 boards per 36 minutes for his career.
These kinds of plays are crucial for a team trying to establish a winning culture, and RHJ provides those in bunches. He’s a grinder who is going to always make winning plays, and he is a player that is ascending on both ends of the floor.
While he’s not a three-point shooter at this point, he is a good driver both in the halfcourt and in transition and he has a good mid-range game, and he routinely has a favorable matchup based on the offensive position he’s playing. While one would probably consider him a wing by appearance, he is one of the more versatile players in the league. RHJ has logged 42 percent of his career minutes at the 3, actually 44 percent at the 4, and 14 percent at the 2, per Basketball Reference. His versatility playing against less athletic defenders often enables him to showcase impressive secondary playmaking ability, as he’s averaged 3.1 assists per 36 minutes for his career, too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5ziDcqk4pg
If the Brooklyn Nets want to truly build a contender long-term with two max stars, keeping a glue guy and Draymond Green-light contributor like RHJ is essential. He turns just 24 mid-season, and look for him to take a big leap in 2018-19 with his production. If the Nets could feature a starting lineup with Irving, Allen Crabbe, Butler, RHJ and Allen, and potentially bring Dinwiddie, Harris and LeVert off the bench (which could be financially tricky, but is possible with a bit of sacrifice), that’d be a pretty solid group to contend in the East going forward for the Brooklyn Nets.
