NEW YORK -- Physicality, quickness and anticipation, Brooklyn Nets rookie Rondae Hollis-Jefferson says, are what separates him from your typical NBA defender.
"I play on a timer defensively," Hollis-Jefferson said. The Nets traded promising young big man Mason Plumlee to get their hands on Hollis-Jefferson after the 6-foot-7 forward out of Arizona was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 23rd overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft. Hollis-Jefferson, 20, was considered the best defender in the entire draft by many around the league. And he is eager to see how he stacks up against Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James.
"LeBron has the title of being the greatest player in the world," said Hollis-Jefferson. "So I feel like that's a big, big challenge for me -- to be able to guard him and see how I do when I guard him. So I'm looking forward to it."
Hollis-Jefferson can light up the room with his colorful personality. But don't mistake that for lacking the toughness and ferocity needed to play tenacious defense. And that's what he means by playing on a timer -- it's as if he plays on an egg timer always waiting for his moment to pounce. He says he began guarding the opposition's best wing player when he was 8.
"It was just something I had inside of me," Hollis-Jefferson said. "And then as I got older, it was something that I really, really began paying attention to."
ESPN's NBA draft expert Chad Ford puts Hollis-Jefferson's ceiling at Golden State Warriors Finals MVP and fellow Wildcat Andre Iguodala.
Of course, as a rookie Hollis-Jefferson still is miles from being that caliber of defensive game-changer. He's going to have to earn the minutes and trust of his coach, Lionel Hollins, before coming near Iguodala's status.
"For certain players, things start out really well from the beginning, and for other players, they go through a roller coaster," Hollis-Jefferson said. "For me, I'm starting off a little slower than expected, just because everything I'm doing is so new. I'm good at adjusting, but now it's more of just, 'How fast do I adjust? How well do I pick things up?' And I'm starting to pick them up."
Dahntay Jones, an 11-year veteran, is trying to make the team on a non-guaranteed contract. In the meantime, he has taken to mentoring Hollis-Jefferson. Indeed, Jones has kept himself in the league for so long because of his ability to defend.
"I'm just trying to teach [Hollis-Jefferson] how to harness his energy -- not get too high or get too low, being in the right place at the right time, knowing his rotations," said Jones, who learned from the likes of Shane Battier and James Posey when he was a youngster in the league.
"I told him to come into the situation and be as humble as possible, act like you don't know anything, absorb as much as you can. Don't get too low when you make a mistake. Don't get too high when you have some success. Just keep working and stay at an even keel."
Hollins' defensive vision
The Nets are not expected to be a good defensive team this season. ESPN's Real Plus/Minus projections expect them to finish 29th out of 30 teams in defense. Last season, the Nets ranked in the bottom 10 in both opponent field goal (45.6) percentage and opponent 3-point (35.8) percentage.
Look up and down the roster and there isn't really anyone who stands out as a defensive stopper or even a tough defender. Certainly young players such as Hollis-Jefferson and Markel Brown, 23, have potential, but this is where the Nets will miss veteran Alan Anderson.
Anderson, who ranked seventh among shooting guards in DRPM, was not retained by the Nets and wound up signing with the Washington Wizards over the summer. Hollins, who is best known for helping turn the Grizzlies into a defensive juggernaut while coaching Memphis, had Marc Gasol and Tony Allen, who became All-NBA defenders. However, Hollins doesn't have that same personnel in Brooklyn, where a lack of quickness remains the team's biggest vulnerability.
"Nothing is easy. Playing defense is hard. It's about effort, it's about getting comfortable with the schemes, understanding where everybody is supposed to be, communicating early and helping when you need to help before getting back to your own man." Lionel Hollins
To be sure, center Brook Lopez has improved as a rim protector, but he's not exactly quick and has had a history of foot problems. And Joe Johnson and Jarrett Jack aren't exactly what they used to be on defense.
"From a quickness perspective, we are what we are," Hollins said recently. "We just have to deal with it."
And that means coming together and defending as a team, rather than as individuals.
"Right now, [Hollins is] preaching to us that we have to be open to helping each other, sacrificing for our teammates," Jones said. "Defensively, we're going to be playing a lot of unit basketball."
"Nothing is easy," Hollins said. "Playing defense is hard. It's about effort, it's about getting comfortable with the schemes, understanding where everybody is supposed to be, communicating early and helping when you need to help before getting back to your own man.
"We're just trying to get better," he added. "We're trying to build on everything we've set a foundation for. It's a work in progress."
Until Hollis-Jefferson, who is currently sidelined with a sprained ankle, is ready to make his presence felt, Hollins and the Nets will just have to get the most out of what they have, which, according to the advanced metrics, isn't much.
Sure he has the physical tools, but defense starts above the shoulders with attitude and mental toughness. Something the Nets will need to learn.
"[The key is] having a short-term memory. Because you'll get scored on," Hollis-Jefferson said. "It's basketball, and these are the greatest players in the world. So you'll get scored on, but it's just about being ready for the next possession, being ready at all times and just not letting them do the same thing again."
