Rumor: Houston Rockets are interested in Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

The Houston Rockets are reportedly interested in a defensive-minded wing to help fill out the roster next year. Is he worth a look for the generally offensive-focused team?

The Houston Rockets are right in the middle of a ton of conversations about improving the team this offseason. The big one, of course, is trying to get the four-time All-Star Jimmy Butler to the city. They still have to figure out the rest of the roster, though.

One option that’s been thrown out there by Shams Charania of The Athletic is the potential for the Rockets to pursue a young defender in Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. RHJ has spent his first few years as a member of the Brooklyn Nets and regressed a bit last year, losing playing time on a playoff team.

He still is just 24 years old and has shown potential on both ends of the court to affect games. At a small price, he might fit a role off the bench for the Rockets. However, there is one glaring issue that might affect the team’s decision.

Lack of 3-point shot

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is a horrific shooter. Last year, he attempted nearly one 3-pointer a game, but only shot 18.4% from that distance. He has shown the ability to affect the game in other ways, offensively, but his shooting is not one of them.

This can be overlooked at times for a good wing defender, but this might be too far. The Rockets signed a defensive-minded player last year who couldn’t shoot in Michael Carter-Williams, and we saw how that worked out. MCW even shot better from 3 than RHJ last year and was still disrespected on that end, causing issues for the Houston offense. I can only imagine that it would be worse.

I wouldn’t mind the Rockets taking a chance on Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, but they certainly shouldn’t expect him to do huge things. We’ll just have to see.