One Drake lyric for every player on the Toronto Raptors

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

"“When I see potential, I just gotta see it through” (feature on Rihanna’s Work)"

It was tough to decide whether this line or the previous one fit Rondae Hollis-Jefferson or Johnson better. Both lines may be applicable to either player.

But with Hollis-Jefferson, it doesn’t feel like anything really needs to be fixed. Sure, his three-point shot is broken – even more so than Johnson’s – but Hollis-Jefferson has thrived as a four and even at the five in especially small lineups. Last season, he played centre for the entire fourth quarter of the Brooklyn Nets’ 28-point comeback in Sacramento, making the game-winning layup with less than a second remaining.

Hollis-Jefferson was a bright spot on a 28-54 Nets team in the 2017-18 season, starting 59 of his 68 games and averaging career-highs across the board: 28.2 minutes, 13.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 47.2 percent from the field, and 78.8 percent from the free throw line (4.6 attempts per game). His defensive versatility is valuable as an undersized but strong and mobile big man. But last season, as Brooklyn improved and made the playoffs, Hollis-Jefferson fell out of the rotation late in the year.

Evidently, the Raptors saw something in Hollis-Jefferson. They got him on a bargain $1.7 million deal for one year. He projects as a backup four, but it’s easy to envision him next to Pascal Siakam in the frontcourt as part of fast, athletic lineups. Raptors coach Nick Nurse is no stranger to mixing it up with zone defenses, where Hollis-Jefferson’s defensive quickness and massive seven-foot wingspan could come in handy.

In Brooklyn, Hollis-Jefferson wasn’t going to get more chances to showcase the potential that he flashed two seasons ago. Toronto will give him an opportunity to see it through.