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Raptors: 3 players that Toronto should sign to replace Alex Len

By Pirasanth Gunasekaram

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 17: Caris LeVert #22 of the Brooklyn Nets drives against Rondae Hollis-Jefferson #4 of the Toronto Raptors during the second quarter in Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 17, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 17: Caris LeVert #22 of the Brooklyn Nets drives against Rondae Hollis-Jefferson #4 of the Toronto Raptors during the second quarter in Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 17, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Raptors
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – AUGUST 10: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson #4 of the Toronto Raptors (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

3 players that could replace Alex Len for the Toronto Raptors: PF Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

Hollis-Jefferson’s fit with the Raptors should be solid because he played with the team last season giving him familiarity with the offense. During the 2019-20 season, Hollis-Jefferson averaged 7.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. His offense was decent at best, which has always been the knock on him, but his defense was stellar. On Dec. 1, 2019, during a home game against the Utah Jazz, Hollis-Jefferson showed how dominant he can be when dominated Bojan Bogdanovic on defense and started to gain confidence on offense.

Hollis-Jefferson is a power forward, but he can also play the center position when needed. Toronto fans saw him play at the five spot whenever the Raptors did not have Serge Ibaka or Marc Gasol on the court due to injuries, and his unique style of play helped the team get through some tough stretches.

He is very capable of guarding big men who play either the power forward or center positions. He played well against Blake Griffin early in the season, handled physical players like DeAndre Ayton and Enes Kante, blocked a shot from Myles Turner, and even forced Giannis Antetokounmpo to turn over the ball. When he’s locked in, he’s a truly exceptional defensive player down low.

Boucher is playing really well as of late, but the one thing he is having trouble with is guarding the center position due to his skinny frame. Hollis-Jefferson is shorter than Boucher, but his size and hustle allow him to guard bigs. As good as Yuta Watanabe might be right now, he’s nowhere near Hollis-Jefferson as a defender. In theory, Baynes should be better than the other three players in every way, but he is struggling right now on the court.

Right now, would be a great time to bring back Hollis-Jefferson to the Raptors and to sign him to a one-year minimum contract. It will not take that long to convince him to come back if Toronto shows that they can offer him a chance to compete for a title.

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