Menu
Ryan Hollins profile
Drafted #50 in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Hornets
Height: 6'11" (211 cm)
Weight: 225 lbs (102 kg)
Position: C
High School: Muir High School (California)
Hometown: Pasadena, CA
College: UCLA
Current Team: PMS Torino
Win - Loss: 19 - 8

Articles

NBA Scouting Reports: Filling in the Blanks- the Centers

Matt Williams
Matt Williams
Aug 20, 2009, 08:00 pm
Overview: A young center trying to solidify himself as a legitimate backup. Incredibly long and athletic for a 7-footer. Skinny build reflects the time he spent as a collegiate high jumper. Will play well above the rim when he can get his feet set, but struggles with contact and is easily pushed off balance. Primarily functions as a hustle player and lacks polish both offensively and defensively. Bring some things to the table as a shot blocker due to his wingspan and leaping ability. Doesn’t display a great feel for the game, which often limits his ability to use his physical tools. Had a fairly marginal career at UCLA, playing the same complementary role that he does now. Showed some promise during a short stint in the D-League, but remains a very raw player –even with a few seasons in the NBA under his belt. Compensates for his unrefined skill set with a nice energy level. Plays with passion. Hoping to earn more minutes with a rebuilding Timberwolves franchise.

Offense: Gets essentially all of his offense by working without the ball. Does a decent job cutting the rim when the opportunity presents itself, but is mostly a pressure release for driving teammates. Presents a large target and has decent hands. A nice alley-oop option if nothing else. Decent finisher around the rim when he has space, likes to try and dunk the ball over defenders when the opportunities presents itself. Finishes at the rim at a respectable rate, but has some issues getting and maintaining position to do so. Lack of bulk allows opposing centers to knock him off balance easily, but when he isn’t pushed out of position, he draws a lot of contact on his shots. Gets to the free throw line at an outstanding rate on a per-minute basis. Will take an occasional jumper, showing mediocre touch and mechanics from the midrange. This lack of form is reflected in his poor free throw percentage. Won’t get touches in the post unless they come during garbage time, and has little back-to-the-basket ability. Gets most of his points by virtue of his mobility. Runs the floor well, rolls quickly to the basket after setting screens, and is able to crash the glass aggressively from the high post. Poor passer who seldom puts the ball on the floor and lacks ideal decision making ability. Will never be known for his ball skills, but has improved his ability to make an impact offensively slightly since his rookie season.

Defense: Decent defender overall, who shows a high activity level, but is limited by some of the same things that hurt him offensively. Can use his length and leaping ability to block shots –denying quite a few attempts just by going straight up and occasionally providing highlight reel-caliber rejections when he can get himself in position. Very aggressive with his hands when his man tries to back him down, leading to fouling. Has a lot less trouble when his opponent looks to use a finesse move. Often the target of isolations in the post. Has the lateral quickness to defend the midrange against most centers, but seldom gets the chance to do so. Hedges the pick and roll well and is capable of switching off to defend many players. Has some issues boxing out due to his lack of lower body strength and ideal rebounding instincts, but manages to clean the glass at a respectable level due to his athleticism. Extremely foul prone, which often limits his playing time. Seems to lose focus at times, but will have some nice possessions when he shows a sense of urgency.

Private Workout: Hollins, Johnson, Diaz, Kelly, Williams, Jeter

Jonathan Givony
Jonathan Givony
Joseph Treutlein
Joseph Treutlein
Jonathan Watters
Jonathan Watters
Eric Weiss
Eric Weiss
Jun 09, 2006, 10:52 am
Hollins physical ability is top-notch for a player his size. Hollins has a lithe, long build with solid upper body strength and a slim waist. His mobility is excellent as he can run the floor as well as any big in this draft. Hollins has explosive power and quickness when attacking the rim. Having the opportunity to watch Hollins workout the day before, it was obvious that trainer Rico Hines had done his job preparing his player for maximum endurance while maintaining his explosive lift throughout. Hollins also possesses some nice skills for a big man. His mid range jumper is consistently solid from 15-17 feet and he can finish softly or with authority around the rim. Hollins also was extremely vocal and showed tremendous passion throughout the competitive work.

As far as weaknesses are concerned, there are a few things that Hollins must work on to be a top of the rotation player in the NBA. During the competitive workout, Hollins lost focus in a number of different instances. This was something that showed itself a bit the previous day when he had to be reminded on a few occasions on what to do during a given drill. In the competitive workout, Hollins got caught “ball-watching” when the guards had the ball. This caused him to be out of position for a number of rebounds, but also seemed to be a principle factor in his biggest flaw, composure. It is common for players to jaw at each other and be physical, which Hollins certainly was. But, physicality must be used within the context of game play and Hollins allowed Johnson’s constant contact and work to take away his focus and start reacting with inappropriate retaliatory elbows and shoving.

Overall, Hollins has great physical tools to make a living in the NBA. As a seven footer with his skill set and athleticism, he should have no trouble finding a spot for himself on the next level. Hard work and dedication to improvement will determine just how much success Hollins has on that next level. It is clear that Hollins has put a tremendous amount of work in developing his physical strength and endurance, so he has the mental toughness to work that’s for sure. But, Hollins must also work on his feel for the game and learn how to apply his physical gifts to the nuances of the game that are critical for high level success.

Ryan Hollins NBA Draft Scouting Report

Apr 11, 2006, 03:26 am
Strengths
Ryan Hollins is all upside at this point, mostly based off his impressive athletic ability for a seven-foot center. Hollins is indeed a true seven feet tall, and has a very long wingspan to boot.

Despite seeing inconsistent minutes in college for one reason or another, he showed some flashes on the court, mainly in the last month of his college career. He is not an ideal specimen physically because he is not very strong, however he is not frail.

Being a former track star, he has very impressive leaping ability, being able to get off the ground quickly and knowing how to use his length well to finish around the hoop if strength is not an issue. At times on offense UCLA would just throw the ball up to him and let him go get it. Hollins is a ferocious dunker when no one challenges his shot, if he has a free lane or path to the basket he can finish with authority.

He is also very efficient at running the court, physically being in good condition and not appearing to have any problems in an up and down basketball game. Ideally if Hollins runs the court possession after possession, he has the ability to be very dangerous in transition. He is not a powerful athlete, relying more on his quickness than anything.

On the offensive end, Hollins gets a majority of his shot opportunities either running the court or getting put back dunks on the offensive glass. He really knows how to finish when he gets the opportunity, as his long arms and quick leaping ability make it possible for him to take off far away from the basket and still finish. With his quickness, size and long arms if he polishes his post moves and improves his lower body strength he could be a real force down low.

In terms of shooting, Hollins can step away from the basket and make shots periodically. He has a surprisingly effective fifteen-foot jump shot at the top of the key that he uses with regularity, showing a nice soft touch for a big man. Expanding his range to all areas of the court inside of the three point line will be critical to his success at the next level.

With his quickness and length, Hollins can potentially be a real asset on defense. He has the ability to step away from the basket and provide help, and is exceptional when doubling on the perimeter because of his length really.

With his good conditioning and overall athletic ability he is a very adequate defender away from the basket. Hollins is not really a shot blocker though, instead he can get in the way and make it difficult to dribble around him or make a pass.

Weaknesses
Looking at Hollins as a complete athlete he does indeed lack true strength needed in the low post. He is a skinny kid in the upper and lower body and at times can get pushed around by bigger players. Being listed at two hundred and twenty five pounds is definitely a deterrent to many NBA teams because that weight is considered too small for a power forward, much less a center. He is just not very strong and it shows. After four years of college you would expect him to have put some weight on his frame by now, and considering that that hasn’t really happened, you have to wonder if it ever will. What might be most affected by his lack of strength is the fact that he sometimes has trouble finishing in traffic. Even though he should be able to dunk almost at will, he sometimes struggles finishing close to the basket because he does not have the strength or toughness to power through contact while in the air. It appears that he has very small hands for his size, which affects his play on the court.

What is somewhat disturbing about Hollins is the fact that after four years of college he is still very raw on the offensive end in terms of post moves. He can make outstanding plays dunking the basketball running in transition, but still does not really have very good footwork. Hollins does not any real back to the basket game and sometimes struggles in the paint when he cannot go for a lay up or dunk.

At the next level he either has to extremely define his already decent outside shooting ability, or develop a more effective back to the basket game, be it using a fade away or a short hook shot. And because of his lack of offensive post moves, his overall soft play and his lack of footwork, he is not very dominant on the offensive end. When he is aggressive going to the basket and running the court he is a lot more effective and dangerous on offense, but that is not always the case and taking his four years as a whole, quite rare actually.

Because of his diminutive hand size he has trouble passing and dribbling the basketball. If he is pressured he will most likely turn the ball over and he looks very uncomfortable with the ball in his hands. In the post he does not have strong hands and that might be part of the reason he has trouble posting up down low and grabbing rebounds out of his area.

Another issue that stems from his lack of strength is his inability to defend in the post during certain situations. Sometimes he can get out muscled down low because the opponent simply pushes him around with his lack of strength. Another disappointing part of his game is that he has the potential to be a great shot blocker, however he has yet to show that ability at the college level so it is unlikely to develop in the NBA.

Hollins will also have to improve his ability to box out to play at the next level. With his lack of lower body strength, he will have to become more skilled at using his length and leverage to carve out space for rebounds. If he gets low and focuses on boxing out, his length and quick leaping ability will make him potentially a very good rebounder.

If Hollins was physically more of a tough kid, willing to hit the floor and get roughed up every once in a while he could better compensate for his lack of physical strength. It would also be nice to see Hollins develop some kind of mean streak and play with more emotion on the court. His play is way too soft and this affects him in every facet of the game. His basketball IQ in general does not appear to be off the charts.

Competition
In four seasons at UCLA his senior season has really only been his impressive showing where he gave glimpses of potential at the next level. It is easy to like his athletic ability, size and his long arms but there are also many weaknesses to his game. Simply put he is still a very raw basketball player, he has potential but also has a lot to work on. However to his credit he has just began to peak as a senior, starting out the season out pretty weak, but finishing it very strong with some very good showings in the month or March. If he continues to carry that over to NBA pre-draft camp in Orlando and private workouts he will have a chance of being a 2nd round pick based off of his athletic ability as a seven-foot center.

Outlook
The latter part of Hollins senior season was by far more impressive than the start of it, performing well on a big stage against quality competition. However it would have helped his case if he dominated the way he should have against lesser competition. Hollins’ consistency over the years has not been very good; he has been very up and down and has yet to be truly dominant in the college game. His career numbers are very underwhelming for a player with his size and athleticism.

NCAA Tournament: NBA Draft Stock Watch (National Championship)

Rodger Bohn
Rodger Bohn
Mike Schmidt
Mike Schmidt
Joseph Treutlein
Joseph Treutlein
Jonathan Watters
Jonathan Watters
Apr 04, 2006, 04:51 am
Hollins played better than most of his Bruin teammates, but was outmatched for much of the game against the dominant frontline of Florida. He started out with an offensive foul early, but came back strong with a dunk off a Jordan Farmar pass. He had 2 nice dunks in the game where he put his outstanding athleticism on display. Hollins has also been hitting the mid-range jumper over the past few games, and made more of these as well as both of his free throws against the Gators. He did miss some easy shots inside, however, and it seemed like he was scared of being blocked by Joakim Noah, who swatted a few of his shots throughout the game, especially early. Hollins played defense the best that he could, but was beat by Noah a few times, and missed some rotations which led to easy dunks for Al Horford. If Hollins were to understand how to position himself while helping out on defense, he could become a fantastic shot blocker, but this is a very underutilized part of his game at this point in time. He will also need to bulk up some to play in the NBA. He has good size and length, but lacks any type of bulk, and gets pushed around in the paint quite often. Throughout the tournament, Hollins has done a great deal on the basketball court to improve his draft stock. He still remains raw at this point, and will be considered a project, but 7 footers with outstanding athletic ability and a semblance of basketball ability are hard to come by.

NCAA Tournament: NBA Draft Stock Watch (Final Four)

Jonathan Givony
Jonathan Givony
Mike Schmidt
Mike Schmidt
Joseph Treutlein
Joseph Treutlein
Jonathan Watters
Jonathan Watters
Apr 02, 2006, 06:39 pm
Though he struggled with foul trouble for much of the game and only took 2 shots, Hollins displayed a few skills that could make him a valuable commodity at the next level. He started off the game with a fantastic block on Glen Davis, and continued by making a 15 foot jumper. Though his shooting has always been a big concern, he made both of his free throws in addition to the 15 footer. It is rare to find a 7 footer who is as agile as Ryan Hollins, and he has a few raw skills as well. He still needs to improve his offensive game, and his timing on defense, but he is a very valuable commodity when in the game. Hollins will have several chances in the coming months to impress scouts and work his way up the draft board, and a good performance against Florida’s front line would be a great start. It was a bit shocking to see that Hollins wasn’t invited to Portsmouth over players like Erek Hansen, but even despite that glaring error there is no doubt in anyone’s mind who is the better prospect in the long run. Look for Hollins to be bombarded with requests for private workouts with NBA teams as well as get an invite to the more prestigious NBA pre-draft camp in Orlando.

NCAA Tournament: NBA Draft Stock Watch (Elite Eight, Saturday Games)

Jonathan Givony
Jonathan Givony
Mike Schmidt
Mike Schmidt
Mar 26, 2006, 12:19 am
For four long years, UCLA fans have been waiting for their highly touted and incredibly underachieving 7 foot athletic freak to begin to realize his potential. Thankfully for them, it finally came at the best time possible, as Hollins was the lone bright spot in an astonishingly ugly game that saw them advance to the Final Four.

Hollins had a major case of senior urgency once March of his final season rolled around, putting up some of the best statlines of his entire career in a 3 week span leading up to tonight’s game.

It started with an extremely impressive 9 points in the first 9 minutes on 4/4 shooting from the field. He was extremely active around the hoop, going up strong to the basket time after time with some exceptionally athletic moves, being very active on the glass. He got his hands on all kinds of rebounds, and played with the type of energy and confidence that we just hadn’t seen out him in any game outside of this 3 week stretch.

He used his quickness to draw 2 quick fouls on the same monster athlete and body in Joey Dorsey that gave Patrick O’Bryant so many problems in the Sweet 16, and got to the line a career high 11 times. Hollins amazingly only converted on two of those attempts, but considering the soft touch he usually shows from mid-range, this has to be more a product of jitters at this huge stage rather than an inability to actually knock down a free throw.

A few of the moves he made taking the ball to the basket and using his exceptional length to finish are the type of plays that few big men in college basketball can make. Hollins slithered his way around the defense, made two massive strides towards the hoop and took off for a jam from very far from the rim but still managed to convert in impressive fashion. Drawing a charge on one particular play, a move he has always been far too soft to make in the past, really shows us that the lightbulb might be finally coming on for him at just the right moment for UCLA. Hollins showed us sparks of potential at times over the past few years, but it was always the kind of fleeting effort that made you wonder why he can’t do more often. We considered him a strong candidate for a Portsmouth invite in an article last month right before he broke out, but now if he shows up, there might actually be some excitement from scouts about seeing what he can do outside of UCLA’s system.

Latest results

03/15/2024 68 - 78 at Cividale Cividale
03/10/2024 78 - 69 at Forli Forli
03/03/2024 76 - 60 vs Cento Cento
02/19/2024 91 - 86 vs Casalpusterlengo Casalpusterlengo

Tweets

DraftExpress Shop