A good argument exists that the best acquisition this offseason for the Kings was Rajon Rondo. With the addition of Rondo, he pairs up with Darren Collison, which the pair together have the potential to be one of the best point guard duos in the league.
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Many are speculating that this Rondo signing is believed for the Kings to make him the starting point guard next season, but I believe it shouldn’t be that easy.
In my opinion, Collison deserves to be the starting point guard, at least entering training camp.
Rondo no doubt has the ability to be the better choice starting at the point, but based on last season (being his worst) he has to prove his worth.
Last season Collison averaged 16.1 PPG, 5.6 APG, and a PER (Player Efficiency Rate) of 17.53, compared to Rondo’s 8.9 PPG, 7.9 APG, and 13.49 PER. So Collison, at least in stats, proved to be the better player between the two.
Collison might also be a better fit for the team in terms of style of pace. As fans saw last season, the offense under George Karl is going to be more uptempo, which is a style of offense that is better suited for Collison than Rondo (in my opinion).
Although Rondo does have the understanding and skill to run any type of pace offensively, he showed last season with the Dallas Mavericks that he preferred to run the offense at a slower pace. However to be fair, he was playing with a different personnel so his approach can certainly change with Sacramento.
Collison also ups Rondo in terms of shooting production. Last season Collison shot around 48% from court and 37% from the perimeter, while Rondo shot 44% from the court, 35% from three, and an alarming 45% from the charity stripe.
It’s also important to note that who ever starts is going to play with franchise player DeMarcus Cousins for the most part, and that the offense thrives more with Cousins when reliable shooters are present on the court. So considering the shooting factor as well, Collison seems to be a better fit with Cousins over Rondo.
Overall, the Kings should give Collison every opportunity possible to be the team’s starting point guard. His game is more compatible to what the Kings are looking for in terms of his shooting ability, playing at a higher pace, and just that he has been a more efficient player than Rondo in recent history.
I want to make it clear that I am not predicting Rondo to be destined for the bench, but it is unfair for Collison, who exceeded expectations last season, to walk into training camp as the backup after proving he can be a starter.
Once training camp comes into full effect, the point guard battle between Collison and Rondo is expected to be epic. Ideally Rondo should be the starter (based on their careers), but the reality is that Collison was a better point guard last season, and therefore the starting job should be his to lose.