Chicago Bulls Draft Profile 2015: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

In our continued look at possible Chicago Bulls prospects in the upcoming NBA Draft, we look at

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

. Hollis-Jefferson could help the Bulls at the wing spot, which may experience change this offseason.

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Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls may experience some transition at the wing spot. Jimmy Butler played some there during this past season, but expect him to go there against the top players, like LeBron James.

Small forward starter Mike Dunleavy will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, so he may seek big bucks elsewhere.

That leaves the Bulls with Tony Snell and possibly Nikola Mirotic at wing. They will need some help there.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson could provide that help.

Hollis-Jefferson comes in at 6-foot-7 and weighs 220 pounds. He has a 7-foot-1 wingspan.

Hollis-Jefferson helped lead the Arizona Wildcats to two straight Elite-8 appearances, where they fell to Wisconsin both times.

Hollis-Jefferson has a body that is NBA-ready, and he has a good combination of strength, speed, quickness and explosiveness to play in the NBA. He is athletic enough to keep up with most small forwards in the league now. He also has a high motor, playing with all he has throughout a game.

Hollis-Jefferson is not great at any one offensive category, but he is good at most. Most of his offense comes from his athleticism and energy. He runs the floor well in transition, and when in the halfcourt offense, he cuts well, getting to the basket and taking easy shots.

Because of his leaping ability to play above the rim, Hollis-Jefferson shot 56.3 percent on shots at the rim. As we saw in the playoffs, the Bulls lost a lot of points on shots at the rim which were missed. It is tough to make jump shots from 20 feet or so, but to miss shots right at the rim makes winning almost impossible. You cannot give up easy points, especially in the playoffs, as the Bulls experienced in the last few years.

Playing above the rim, a player will take hits. Hollis-Jefferson takes those hits and makes the shots, or goes to the line and makes free throws. His 7.1 free throws per 40 minutes was the best of any small forward in the top-100 prospects in this draft. We saw how getting a high number of free throw attempts helped Jimmy Butler in his career-breakout season this year.

Hollis-Jefferson will need to work on his ball-handling skills and his shooting. He can get to the basket almost at will using his athleticism in transition, but in a halfcourt situation he struggles to get to the rim off the dribble or when challenged defensively. He made just 36.3 percent of his jumpers, and just 20.7 percent of his three-point attempts. He has to work on his shooting mechanics.

Hollis-Jefferson is a great defender. That is where he made a name for himself at Arizona and where he will need to continue to do in the NBA. He locks down defensively, and can guard multiple positions.

He guards small forwards the best. He loves taking the challenge of guarding the best scorers and he uses his strength, quick feet and wingspan to bother shooters. He blocks 1.1 shots per-40 minutes.

Hollis-Jefferson uses his leaping ability on the defensive end as well, grabbing 9.0 rebounds per-40 minutes, fifth among small forwards in the top-100.

Hollis-Jefferson also has some high goals for himself in the NBA. He recently said he would like to dunk on one of the best shot blockers in the NBA, Serge Ibaka. “I don’t know if I should say this, because he might be, like, looking for me if I come down the paint,” he said. “But I know Serge Ibaka is a big blocked-shot dude. So if I can get him, I’m good.

Of course, Ibaka caught wind of those comments, and responded.

In the NBA, Hollis-Jefferson can be a very good role player, doing some of the dirty work off the bench and spot starting. If he can fix his offensive game a bit, he can eventually be a starter in the league. The Chicago Bulls draft plan might include him.

Next: Chicago Bulls 2015 Draft Profile: Christian Wood

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