Washington Wizards: 3 free agents to target with the DPE
By Ethan Smith
Free Agent Target #2: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
After every game, the Washington Wizards sound like a broken record, win or lose. Somehow the topic of defense come up; not surprising when you’re routinely giving up 120+ points and have one of the NBA’s worst defensive rating. And every time, the Wizards give some semblance of the same answer.
‘We have to take more pride in guarding our man’; ‘We just need more effort’; yadda yadda yadda. The answers to the questions about defense are almost always empty cliches about staying focused and giving 100 percent without actual specifics or accountability. And (shockingly!) the defense continues to disappoint.
Aside from making any significant strategic changes on the defensive end and simply hoping the defense gets better with a little extra oompf, the Wizards could sign somebody that could get them stops. They could sign Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
Hollis-Jefferson is someone the Wizards could immediately plugin and play. While he isn’t a major threat on the offensive end, he’s a tenacious wing defender who would instantly improve the Wizards’ perimeter defense. For his career, RHJ has a steal percentage of 2.0. Only Garrison Mathews and Raul Neto are posting higher marks this season.
https://twitter.com/IAmCHAP24/status/1354493037121052672?s=20
And at only 26 years old, there’s some upside with Hollis-Jefferson. If he works out for the next 40some games, he could likely carve out a role for himself beyond this season. He’s not competing with many for the position of ‘defensive stopper’ in D.C.
Hollis-Jefferson spent the preseason with the Minnesota Timberwolves but was waived before the season began. Last season he averaged 7.0 points and 4.7 rebounds in 18.7 minutes per game for the Toronto Raptors.