NBA Draft Blog Interview with Hollis Thompson

One of the more interesting aspects to covering the NBA Draft is seeing players get to show a different side to their game, especially players who come out of very structured systems.  In my view, the prototypical example of this in the current draft is Georgetown’s Hollis Thompson.  Thompson certainly had a very good 3 years with the Hoyas, but if you watched them often, you always had a feeling that Thompson was just on the verge of breaking out.  A fantastic shooter with a knack for delivering in clutch situations, Georgetown’s offense didn’t afford him as much opportunity to show the other aspects to his game – the ability to create in space, a dangerous first step, and to finish strong at the rim.  This isn’t to say that Georgetown held him back.  During his college years, his defensive ability jumped multiple levels and playing in a system based on spacing the floor makes you very versatile.  Thompson has the opportunity now to show NBA teams parts of his game which were put away for a few years as he did what the Hoyas needed him to do.  Thompson is out at Impact in Las Vegas preparing for NBA workouts and I had the chance to speak to him recently about the development of his game, playing in the Big East, and more:

Hollis on his development at Georgetown:

“It’s the Big East; you are playing against the best, so you need to keep working on your game.  I think college really helped develop my defensive game the most.  I was guarding the perimeter and the post, multiple positions, defending some of the best players around.”

 

Hollis on how playing in the Big East helped him:

“There is no doubt that it made me ready to play.  There was never a let up.  Every night was going to be a battle, and you had to be at your best or you were going to get beat.  Playing against the best is only going to help you get to be the best too.”


Hollis on his strengths as a player:
 

“My scoring is one of my biggest strengths.  I can score from the perimeter, coming off screens, off the dribble, and I have the size to score in the post as well.  I can also guard multiple positions, be a good weak-side defender and rebound.”

 

Hollis on what parts of his game he still wants to improve:

“I need to keep getting stronger.  At the next level, you are going up against some big men, so strength is necessary.  I want to get better with the ball, handling it on the perimeter and taking it to the basket.  Defensively, I want to keep improving as well.  Really, I want to just keep improving everything, my strengths and my weaknesses.”

 

Hollis on choosing to declare after his junior year:

“I had declared last year, and found out what I needed to work on to be in the NBA.  I think I did that, and I feel I am ready for that next step and to play at the highest level.”

Hollis on his role at the next level:

“I can come in right away and space the floor, be a knockdown shooter from the perimeter.  If they need me to score, I can do that and if they need defense, I can do that for them also.”


Hollis on what he wants teams and fans to know about him
:

“I know I want this more than anyone else.  I have been working for this since Day 1.  I am going to do whatever a team needs me to do, on and off the court.  I will bring everything I have every day to make myself and my team better.”

 

I want to thank Hollis for his time and I wish him the best of luck as he looks to fulfill his dream of getting to the NBA.  I also want to thank his agent, Seth Cohen of Original Creative Representation, for setting up this interview.  Hollis will be one of the more interesting players to track over the next 6 weeks as he gets to show his full ability to NBA teams.  I have a feeling that people who focus on things such as “mock drafts” will be scrambling to keep creating space for Hollis as he makes NBA teams want to see more.

 

Check back in the coming weeks for more great interviews and scouting reports as we head towards the 2012 NBA Draft.  Follow me on Twitter – @NBADraftBlog – for updates, leave your comments below, or feel free to email me at [email protected]