It remains a mystery as to why Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is still a free-agent. Last season, while on a strong playoff team in the Toronto Raptors, Hollis-Jefferson averaged about seven points, five rebounds, and two assists in 19 minutes on the floor. The one knock on his game is his lack of perimeter shooting, but he does other things well enough to earn a role in most rotations. The Dallas Mavericks are in disarray and in real need of help.
The Dallas Mavericks Should Sign Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
Current State of the Mavericks
The Mavericks are 9-14. They’re fresh off a 31-point loss to the Golden State Warriors. Just about every player on the team not named Luka Doncic is not playing well.
Dallas is currently the worst three-point shooting team in the league. They’re also struggling with rebounding, even though they have a plethora of big men in Kristaps Porzingis, Maxi Kleber, Willie Cauley-Stein, Dwight Powell, and the rarely-used Boban Marjanovic. In addition, perimeter defenders like Josh Richardson, James Johnson, and Dorian Finney-Smith are simply not getting the job done.
Dallas needs a lot of help on both sides of the court, but a glaring need is defense and rebounding. Hollis-Jefferson can be acquired on a free agent deal without having to trade anyone, so the Mavericks need to make a push.
What Hollis-Jefferson Brings
The Mavericks won’t be getting a ton of offense from Hollis-Jefferson. That’s okay, however, as they have plenty of players who can score. Although they haven’t shown it this season, the offensive talent is there.
Hollis-Jefferson is a tough perimeter defender. One would assume Richardson and Finney-Smith, as starters, will figure it out eventually, but Hollis-Jefferson can provide a boost and competition. The big men on the roster are bringing it on defense every night, so the Mavericks should at least try to load the team with perimeter talent.
With rebounding being an issue, it’s important to note that Hollis-Jefferson is 6-foot-7, can play both forward positions, and can also play small-ball center. He’s a pretty big player overall, and will surely help in this department. Last season he put up his lowest rebounding numbers in his career, but that’s also because of a limited role. For the majority of his career, Hollis-Jefferson played over 20 minutes per game and was always grabbing at least 5-7 rebounds a night.
Porzingis and Kleber will be mainstays in the rotation. The same goes for Finney-Smith. Hollis-Jefferson, however, can easily take minutes from all the other frontcourt players.
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