The NBA Impersonator has struck again. Brandon Armstrong (found here on Twitter) did a great Rajon Rondo impression on Twitter yesterday, and I’ve got to say this might be one of the more accurate impersonations Armstrong has done.
https://twitter.com/BdotAdot5/status/646043237870882818?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Okay, so maybe Rondo isn’t that bad about not shooting the ball. But his career stats definitely do reflect that Sacramento’s newest point guard is a bigger fan of passing than shooting in most situations.
| Season | Tm | GS | MP | FGA | FG% | 3PA | 3P% | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-07 | BOS | 25 | 23.5 | 5.8 | .418 | 0.4 | .207 | 2.4 | .647 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 6.4 |
| 2007-08 | BOS | 77 | 29.9 | 9.3 | .492 | 0.2 | .263 | 2.3 | .611 | 4.2 | 5.1 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 10.6 |
| 2008-09 | BOS | 80 | 33.0 | 9.5 | .505 | 0.6 | .313 | 3.4 | .642 | 5.2 | 8.2 | 1.9 | 0.1 | 2.6 | 2.4 | 11.9 |
| 2009-10 ★ | BOS | 81 | 36.6 | 11.2 | .508 | 1.0 | .213 | 3.5 | .621 | 4.4 | 9.8 | 2.3 | 0.1 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 13.7 |
| 2010-11 ★ | BOS | 68 | 37.2 | 9.9 | .475 | 0.6 | .233 | 1.9 | .568 | 4.4 | 11.2 | 2.3 | 0.2 | 3.4 | 1.8 | 10.6 |
| 2011-12 ★ | BOS | 53 | 36.9 | 10.8 | .448 | 0.8 | .238 | 3.4 | .597 | 4.8 | 11.7 | 1.8 | 0.1 | 3.6 | 1.9 | 11.9 |
| 2012-13 ★ | BOS | 38 | 37.4 | 12.2 | .484 | 1.3 | .240 | 2.4 | .645 | 5.6 | 11.1 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 3.9 | 2.5 | 13.7 |
| 2013-14 | BOS | 30 | 33.3 | 11.7 | .403 | 3.0 | .289 | 2.2 | .627 | 5.5 | 9.8 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 3.3 | 2.2 | 11.7 |
| 2014-15 | TOT | 68 | 29.7 | 9.5 | .426 | 1.3 | .314 | 1.1 | .397 | 5.5 | 7.9 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 3.1 | 2.3 | 8.9 |
| 2014-15 | BOS | 22 | 31.8 | 9.1 | .405 | 1.5 | .250 | 1.6 | .333 | 7.5 | 10.8 | 1.7 | 0.1 | 3.4 | 1.9 | 8.3 |
| 2014-15 | DAL | 46 | 28.7 | 9.7 | .436 | 1.2 | .352 | 0.9 | .452 | 4.5 | 6.5 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 9.3 |
| Career | 520 | 32.6 | 9.6 | .470 | 0.8 | .263 | 2.5 | .609 | 4.7 | 8.3 | 1.8 | 0.1 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 10.8 | |
| 9 seasons | BOS | 474 | 32.9 | 9.6 | .473 | 0.8 | .252 | 2.7 | .614 | 4.7 | 8.5 | 1.9 | 0.1 | 2.8 | 2.2 | 11.0 |
| 1 season | DAL | 46 | 28.7 | 9.7 | .436 | 1.2 | .352 | 0.9 | .452 | 4.5 | 6.5 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 9.3 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/22/2015.
For his career, Rondo nearly averages as many assists per game as he does shots taken. That’s an impressive display of selflessness over ten whole NBA seasons that we can expect to carry over into his time with the Kings.
More from Kings News
- 3 Ways Chris Duarte improves the Kings chances in 2023-24
- Bleacher Report crazily lists Kings’ All-Star as “most overrated NBA player”
- Kings and Heat fans clash on Twitter to debate All-Star players
- Sacramento Kings’ Chris Duarte playing in 2023 FIBA World Cup
- 3 Young players the Kings must develop, 2 to give up on
Rondo does score at least sometimes–in his Boston days he did manage to average eleven points a game with the Celtics, on a not-bad 47 percent from the field. Rondo is also a pretty solid rebounder, grabbing nearly five boards per game over his career.
There are definitely meaner impressions of Rondo that Armstrong could’ve done–the inability to shoot free throws or three-pointers comes to mind right away, and after his rough campaign last season a literal explosion on the court would’ve been fairly accurate too.
So as usual, even fans of the player Armstrong impersonated can get behind his acting chops. The real question is if Sacramento will be able to get behind Rajon Rondo this season.
Rondo isn’t like the modern NBA point guard–most ones these days are better dual threats than Rondo, who clearly is not much of a shooter/scorer. Guys like Darren Collison, who probably lost his starting job to Rondo this offseason, is a perfect example of the more modern floor generals these days.
| Rk | Player | MP | FGA | FG% | 3PA | 3P% | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darren Collison | 12353 | 12.1 | .465 | 2.4 | .366 | 3.6 | .850 | 3.4 | 6.1 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 15.2 |
| 2 | Rajon Rondo | 18665 | 10.7 | .470 | 0.9 | .263 | 2.8 | .609 | 5.2 | 9.2 | 2.0 | 0.1 | 3.1 | 2.5 | 12.0 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/22/2015.
It’s clear right away from the pair’s per 36 minutes statistics that Rondo is the better passer by far, but Collison’s better from long-range and a better volume scorer than Rondo. Rondo was the ideal point guard in the past, but now people are more used to seeing guys that are adept at both passing and scoring.
That doesn’t mean Rondo is better or worse than Collison, but it’s going to take a bit to adjust to watching him run the offense. His selflessness and great passing ability sets him apart from most guys in the Association these days, but it should only benefit some of the great scorers on this team.
So even if Rondo’s selflessness looks like Brandon Armstrong’s impression of him sometimes, try not to write him off just because of his different play style. The other players on the Kings will doubtlessly appreciate it, that’s for sure.
More from A Royal Pain
- 3 Ways Chris Duarte improves the Kings chances in 2023-24
- 5 Players the Sacramento Kings never should have signed
- Bleacher Report crazily lists Kings’ All-Star as “most overrated NBA player”
- Kings and Heat fans clash on Twitter to debate All-Star players
- Sacramento Kings’ Chris Duarte playing in 2023 FIBA World Cup