City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
--

It's been a strong 2015 NBA draft for eastern Pennsylvania.

Through the first 45 picks, a trio of players with local ties have already heard their names called by NBA commissioner Adam Silver: Chester's Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Liberty HS/Villanova University's Darrun Hilliard and Academy New Church's Rakeem Christmas.

Hollis-Jefferson, who led Chester to three District 1 AAAA titles and two PIAA state championships before spending two years at Arizona, was drafted No. 23 overall by Portland. He was then traded by the Trail Blazers to Brooklyn, part of a package deal with Steve Blake for center Mason Plumlee and fellow 2015 draftee Pat Connaughton.

He's the first Chester alum to get drafted since Jameer Nelson was picked by Denver and traded to Orlando back in 2004 after bringing Saint Joseph's to the Elite 8. Nelson just finished up his 11th season in the NBA, and first that he wasn't with the Magic.

The 6-foot-7, 220-pound wing forward averaged 10.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg and 1.5 apg in his two years at Arizona, playing alongside lottery pick Stanley Johnson under head coach Sean Miller. Though not a top-level offensive player, Hollis-Jefferson is expected to be able to contribute right away at the next level due to his athleticism and defensive ability, with the chance to be a late first-round steal if his shot comes along.

He was the fourth sophomore taken, following Murray State's Cameron Payne (No. 14, Oklahoma City), Louisville's Terry Rozier (No. 16, Boston) and Arkansas' Bobby Portis (No. 22, Chicago).

Then it was Christmas' turn to get drafted, at No. 36 overall to Minnesota, but instead of joining No. 1 overall pick and New Jersey native Karl-Anthony Towns, he was traded to Cleveland, where he'll get a chance to be teammates with LeBron James and help the Cavaliers make a run at a title. 

The former Syracuse big man averaged 17.5 ppg and 9.1 rpg in his senior season, and at 6-9 and 250 pounds is expected to be a solid post defender at the next level.

The most surprising pick of the three was likely Hilliard, a Bethlehem native who improved every year he was under Jay Wright's tutelage on the Main Line.

As a scrawny, 6-6 freshman, he averaged 4.8 ppg for a team that went just 13-19. But as a senior, he led the Wildcats to a 33-win season and No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, averaging 14.0 ppg on 37.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

The left-handed guard was taken No. 38 overall by the Detroit Pistons, part of a draft class that also includes Hollis-Jefferson's college teammate, Stanley Johnson.

The Sixers selected Duke freshman forward Jahlil Okafor with the third overall pick, then added more size with Bowling Green big man Richaun Holmes at No. 37 and Lithuanian center Arturas Gudaitis at No. 47.

CoBL will have more on this story as it develops