NBA Draft 2015: 5 non-lottery players who will bring value

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, SF Arizona

Hollis-Jefferson and the previously mentioned Anderson are remarkably similar in that they are defense-first players. There is, though, one glaring difference between the two on the other side of the floor that marks where the divide occurs for some pundits.

First things first, though, and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has the potential to be a terror defensively. He measured at “just” 6-foot-7 in shoes at the combine in advance of the 2015 NBA Draft, but Hollis-Jefferson sports a wingspan of 7-foot-2. That insane length, especially when combined with a 38-inch vertical leap, describes an athletically dominant player who could become an elite defender at three positions thanks to a big-time motor.

On the offensive side, Hollis-Jefferson has the ability to create his own shot in a way that Anderson simply can’t. The 20-year-old swingman averaged only 11.2 points per game at Arizona, but that came on a team loaded with other options, and Hollis-Jefferson shot better than 50% from the floor. However, Hollis-Jefferson does have a gaping issue with his jump shot, including a 20.7% (yikes) clip from the collegiate three-point line as a sophomore.

There is no question that a “zero” in the jump shot department is what drastically limits Hollis-Jefferson’s draft stock. Still, there is a possibility that he could succeed at the NBA level without a jumper given his defense and athleticism, and in the same breath, it is far too early to write him off as a player who will never be a threat from range.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is a fantastic fit for virtually every team that picks in the late teens and early 20’s, meaning that he will go off the board and the former Wildcat will be given every opportunity to succeed.

Next: Kelly Oubre