Former Arizona Basketball standouts Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Stanley Johnson are now teammates for the Toronto Raptors.
Full circle. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Stanley Johnson were teammates for Arizona Basketball during the 2014-15 season and will now be teammates again in Toronto. Jefferson was signed to a one-year deal and Johnson was signed to a two-year deal with the NBA Champs. Even with one of the best players in the league Kawhi Leonard leaving Toronto to play for the Los Angeles Clippers, these two former Wildcat teammates will be joining a contender in the East.
They only play one season together at Arizona, but during that time they developed a strong bond on and off the court. There was that brotherhood connection that made them a special duo to watching while at Arizona. That year they played together they helped Arizona all the way to the Elite 8 before losing to Wisconsin 85-78.
During the 2014-15 season at Arizona, both played major roles on the team and started the majority of the year. Johnson led the team averaging 13.8 points per game and Jefferson was third in scoring with 11.2 points per game. They also were the top two rebounders with Jefferson averaging 6.8 and Johnson had 6.5 rebounds per game.
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Their journies in the NBA have been different though. Jefferson has played all four seasons with the Brooklyn Nets. He has been a solid contributor, mainly coming off the bench and providing that energy on both ends of the floor.
Johnson has played for two different teams since entering the NBA, Detroit for his first three seasons and this past season was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. Johnson’s third year in the league, he started in 50 games and averaged 8.7 points per game. Before that and since then he hasn’t seen much playing time and hasn’t been given a true chance to prove his worth.
Wildcat fans know how good of a player Johnson can be and hopefully, the move to Toronto will allow him to showcase his talent. For Jefferson, his long wingspan and leaping abilities will make him a valuable asset to the Raptors on defense. Not known for his shooting, Jefferson may now have the chance to surprise people with his offensive set of skills.
These two while at Arizona provided fans with many exciting moments:
At Zona Zealots we are excited to see two former Arizona Wildcats meet up again as teammates, this time up north for the Toronto Raptors. Time to show Canada how to Bear Down!