Jonathan Holton is ready to launch his professional career
The contemporary world we live in is extremely open-minded and basketball circles are following suit in terms of how a player reaches their ultimate destination. In past eras the road to the NBA consisted of landing at a powerhouse university, progressing over a 4-year span, then being selected by a team via the draft.
The D-League is steadily morphing into a radical vessel for intriguing prospects to wedge their foot in the door and create their own professional career. Often, the end result is not the NBA, but a widened scope of possibilities for a career to blossom in hopes of reaching the pinnacle of sport, while earning a living simultaneously.
Jonathan Holton is looking to etch his name into D-League lore and open the ever-swinging doors of opportunity. Holton is a 24-year-old rookie who will turn 25 shortly after this season begins. His journey to this point has been far from traditional with two separate stops before landing at West Virginia University to learn the game from legendary Bob Huggins.
As an energetic, defensive-minded forward Holton thrived in the complex, suffocating press-happy environment Huggins conveyed for the Mountaineers. He finished his senior campaign averaging 8.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and one steal in just over 23 minutes a night. His impact cannot be measured by merely perusing statistics. Holton played a vital role disrupting opposing offenses with his immense wingspan, constantly using his versatility to guard positions 1-4 to help the team reach their goal of controlled anarchy.
Now, the 6-7 multipurpose wing has to harness those skills and produce on both ends to showcase his value to professional clubs across the globe. His relentless motor, lateral quickness and athletic ability stand out, but now is the time to fine tune his shooting mechanics, ball handling and playmaking capacity to launch his career.
Versatility is key in today’s game and Holton realizes that telling Upside & Motor, “I think my length, athleticism and motor translate to the league. What I think people don’t realize is how skilled I am too. I got a lot of really good feedback in Vegas from high-level European Coaches about my shot mechanics. I can also put it on the floor in transition and lead the break off the defensive glass.”
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Earlier this summer, Holton took his first real opportunity to impress by the horns as he attended both the NBA D-League National Tryout (invite only) and the RBA Showcase — on the same day! Fatigue is an afterthought when presented with one-of-a-kind chances to showcase your skills and Holton left it all on the floor. He was pleased with his performance saying, “It was great exposure for me, as we work towards making the league. Coming from below the radar, getting exposure like this is a really important part of the process. I thought I played well in both events. We’ve gotten really good feedback from teams so far.”
Even at almost 25-years-old, Holton is far from a finished product, but the bedrock is in place and ready to be built upon. Right now his standout traits are boundless athleticism, tenacity, defensive awareness, lateral quickness (especially for his size at 6-7, 220 pounds), and an innate ability to attack the glass on both ends of the floor. The next step for Holton is developing a more consistent outside shot as he hit just 24.4 percent of his 3-point attempts last season at WVU.
The first step to fixing a problem is admitting you have a problem and when asked what areas he needs to improve, Holton answered, “My shot.” That alone is key. Confidence is a must for professional athletes, but understanding your flaws is essential to creating a gameplan for future development.
Many rookies look at the D-League like a death sentence, but if Holton embraces the league as an opportunity to springboard his entire career, then real progress can be achieved. His skill set at 6-7 is consistent with what NBA teams are looking for, and if he can prove to be a quick study while developing his all-around game, he could earn a coveted call up this season.
The NBA D-League Draft is October 30th and it’s highly likely Holton’s name will be in the draft pool. One lucky team is going to bring him in and quickly realize they found a diamond in the rough in terms of talent. Whether or not he comes in with the right mindset and works to improve is 100 percent up to him, but he’s definitely worthy of an early selection.