Dec 2, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo (9) dribbles the ball against the Atlanta Hawks in the third quarter at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Rajon Rondo
Strengths: Passing, running the offense, rebounding, defense, championship experience
Everybody knows this already, but Rajon Rondo has the potential to be one of the best distributors in the entire NBA. He knows how to run an offense, despite his ghastly stint in Dallas. It’s worth noting he led the entire NBA in assists in 2012 and 2013, and also led the league in steals in 2010.
It’s also important to note that Rondo, like Belinelli, has championship experience. That may seem inconsequential, but guys like Boogie Cousins and Ben McLemore can learn a lot from someone like Rondo.
Clearly he can be disruptive on defense and a maestro on offense, but Rondo can also rebound well for a point guard. Despite being just 6’1″ Rondo has totaled at least 5.5 rebounds in his last three seasons, which is significant for a guard. That’s a lot of good things that come with signing Rajon Rondo, so what’s not to like? Well..
Weaknesses: Shooting from all areas (field goal, three-point, free throw), scoring, team chemistry?
He’s a little offensively challenged, aside from his passing abilities. Rondo has a career three-point percentage of 26.3, although he did shoot 35 percent in Dallas. His free throw numbers were a disaster last season at under 40 percent, and his career average of just under 61 percent is pretty bad too.
As such, he’s never been a great scorer, as evidenced by only managing to break 13 points per game in two of his nine NBA seasons. The final knock on Rondo is his chemistry. The situation in Sactown is a little unstable right now, and it could get really ugly really fast if Rajon has problems with George Karl similar to the ones he had with Rick Carlisle.
Personally I am a little worried about this, but I also feel like Rondo realizes he needs to make the most out of his chance here in Sacramento. He may not get many more shots to be a starter if he explodes again, so I’d expect the ever-stubborn Rondo to be on his best behavior, at least initially, in Sacramento.
Rondo’s Role on the Kings: Definitely a starter. Rondo will get the opportunity to prove everyone wrong, or right, about his being over the hill in Sacramento. I doubt Darren Collison gets to be much more than a third guard on the Kings anymore, because there’s no way Vlade Divac paid Rondo $10 million to sit on the bench for most of the games. Maybe Collison plays some time at the two, but I doubt that too given the presence of Belinelli and McLemore.
Career Statistics:
| Season | Tm | GS | MP | FGA | FG% | 3PA | 3P% | eFG% | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-07 | BOS | 25 | 23.5 | 5.8 | .418 | 0.4 | .207 | .424 | 2.4 | .647 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 6.4 |
| 2007-08 | BOS | 77 | 29.9 | 9.3 | .492 | 0.2 | .263 | .496 | 2.3 | .611 | 4.2 | 5.1 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 10.6 |
| 2008-09 | BOS | 80 | 33.0 | 9.5 | .505 | 0.6 | .313 | .514 | 3.4 | .642 | 5.2 | 8.2 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 11.9 |
| 2009-10 ★ | BOS | 81 | 36.6 | 11.2 | .508 | 1.0 | .213 | .517 | 3.5 | .621 | 4.4 | 9.8 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 13.7 |
| 2010-11 ★ | BOS | 68 | 37.2 | 9.9 | .475 | 0.6 | .233 | .482 | 1.9 | .568 | 4.4 | 11.2 | 2.3 | 3.4 | 10.6 |
| 2011-12 ★ | BOS | 53 | 36.9 | 10.8 | .448 | 0.8 | .238 | .456 | 3.4 | .597 | 4.8 | 11.7 | 1.8 | 3.6 | 11.9 |
| 2012-13 ★ | BOS | 38 | 37.4 | 12.2 | .484 | 1.3 | .240 | .497 | 2.4 | .645 | 5.6 | 11.1 | 1.8 | 3.9 | 13.7 |
| 2013-14 | BOS | 30 | 33.3 | 11.7 | .403 | 3.0 | .289 | .440 | 2.2 | .627 | 5.5 | 9.8 | 1.3 | 3.3 | 11.7 |
| 2014-15 | TOT | 68 | 29.7 | 9.5 | .426 | 1.3 | .314 | .447 | 1.1 | .397 | 5.5 | 7.9 | 1.3 | 3.1 | 8.9 |
| Career | 520 | 32.6 | 9.6 | .470 | 0.8 | .263 | .481 | 2.5 | .609 | 4.7 | 8.3 | 1.8 | 2.8 | 10.8 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/7/2015.
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