Expectations For Rajon Rondo With The Sacramento Kings This Season
By Rafe Wong
April 12, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Rajon Rondo (9) moves to the basket against the defense of Los Angeles Lakers guard Jabari Brown (15) during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Offensive Expectations
On the offensive end, I expect him to be that second coach on the floor. Making sure his teammates are where they’re supposed to be, and creating plays for others and himself to score. I also expect Rondo to be given the freedom to make his own calls on the court.
Recently, Kings head coach George Karl spoke to the media on how he was open to the idea of giving Rondo freedom in terms of play calling, which in my opinion is when Rondo is at his best and happiest (click here for interview).
Rondo brings playmaking ability that the Kings have been searching for, but he also is a shooting liabiltity. Throughout his career, Rondo has been known as a poor perimeter shooter, which could potentially hurt the Kings offense at times (depending on who else is on the court). Last season in field goal percentage/three-point percentage/free throw percentage, Rondo went 42.6/31.4/39.7. So based on his latest numbers, as well as his overall career, fans can expect Rondo to have his struggles shooting the ball this season.
Although Rondo won’t help improve the team’s shooting, he was signed to the team to improve their struggle of moving the ball. Last season the ball movement was abysmal for the Kings. The Kings were ranked 26th out of 30 teams in assists per contest (20.3), and were also 26th in assist percentage (55.4%). If all goes right, Rondo will be able to put the lack of ball movement problem to bed, which is arguably the biggest achilles heel for the franchise’s offense in recent history.
Next: Defensive Expectations