A Philadelphia native, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson traded in the frigid east coast winters for life in the desert spending two years playing for Sean Miller at the University of Arizona.
Hope he didn’t get rid of all those warm coats.
The left-handed, lockdown defender thought he was headed to the rainy northwest after being selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 23rd pick of the first-round Thursday night before being dealt to the Brooklyn Nets, along with point guard Steve Blake, for forward Mason Plumlee and rookie guard Pat Connaughton (the 41st pick in the draft). Hollis-Jefferson is considered a high-end athlete and playmaker with a wingspan (7’1”) which allows him to play much bigger than his 6’7 officially listed height.
The well-liked, team-first player did a little bit of everything for Miller and the ‘Cats at both ends of the court. Although his offensive game is unpolished he attacks the rim and will finish in traffic over taller players. His ball handling and lateral quickness have improved tremendously.
“If it’s swagger, if it’s charisma,” Hollis-Jefferson said. “I feel like I bring all those intangibles to the team.”
Eric Sorenson
