Rondae Hollis-Jefferson: Phoenix Suns 2015 Draft Profile

Weaknesses

On the defensive end, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s potential to be elite is pretty evident. It’s the offensive end where his biggest weakness comes to light.

In his sophomore season with the Wildcats, Hollis-Jefferson made only six of his 29 three-point attempts (20.7 percent), which ranked him dead last among small forwards in Draft Express’ top 100. According to Synergy Sports Technology, he also shot just 36.3 percent from the field on jump shots — not exactly a ringing endorsement for any small forward, no matter how versatile he is defensively.

NBA teams are falling in love with players like Draymond Green that can defend multiple positions these days, and there’s some hope for Hollis-Jefferson considering how inconsistent (and borderline nonexistent) Green’s perimeter shot was in college. But Green’s stroke wasn’t broken like RHJ’s is, so Hollis-Jefferson’s ceiling in that regard is nowhere near as high.

“I think his shooting’s improved, but there’s still some work to do,” McDonough said. “To be able to play a lot of minutes in the NBA today, you need to be able to make open shots.”

McDonough’s point is especially true since Hollis-Jefferson might be playing the three on offense. Teams love small-ball fours who can shoot, but they definitely need their small forward to be able to shoot. Right now, RHJ isn’t close to being able to spread the floor with a three-point shot, something even he admitted when asked to give a scouting report on himself.

Even if Hollis-Jefferson lives up to his Tony Allen-esque defensive potential, we’ve seen what happens in the playoffs when teams play off of Allen and let him throw up brick after brick from the perimeter. If RHJ can’t develop a serviceable midrange (and eventually, three-point) shot, he could struggle to have an impact depending on what team selects him.

Next: Potential Fit