When the Dallas Mavericks acquired superstar point guard Rajon Rondo from the Boston Celtics earlier this season, all eyes were on the Mavs. Dallas was already considered a strong contender without Rondo, so it seemed that adding the former NBA Champion was the final piece that would help the Mavericks find themselves amidst the top teams of the cut-throat Western Conference come playoff time, as well as take them to a deep playoff run. On paper, the thought of Rondo slashing through the defense and kicking out to an open Chandler Parsons for a perimeter three, or a pick and pop situation with fellow NBA Champion Dirk Nowitzki seemed too good to be true. Of course that’s exactly how, in Rick Carlisle’s words, Rondo’s ‘stint’ in Dallas has turned out to be so far, too good to be true.
It may be that this is just not the right team for the former All-Star. Or is the problem deeper than that? It’s a well-known fact that the biggest flaw in Rondo’s game is that he can’t shoot the basketball. A ball dominant point guard, Rondo’s strength comes from creating open looks for teammates through collapsing the defense at the rim where we have become used to seeing Rondo finish at the hoop or dish the ball for an open jump shot. Despite the obvious flaw, Rondo has still been a solid scorer over the years. With defenders sagging off him and daring the guard to shoot the ball, no matter how much space an opposing player would give him, Rondo would still drive to the hoop relying on his speed and athleticism and successfully get there each time.
The problem here is that last year, a surgically repaired ACL seems to have slowed the former Celtic down to a certain degree, causing him to lose a lot of the explosiveness that saw him drive past those defenders and get to the basket. If Rondo is unable to drive effectively, this ultimately leaves a lot less space on the floor for fellow teammates to get open. Essentially, the Mavericks offense seems quite congested when Rondo is on the court, with extra defensive pressure on Monta Ellis and Dirk Nowitzki. This ultimately is effecting the team’s offense as a whole and is a contributing factor to Dallas’ issues on that side of the ball. Rondo is also one of the worst free-throw shooters in the league, finding himself below the likes of Dwight Howard and Andre Drummond with an awful 31 percent conversion rate from the foul line. On rare successful drives to the rim, defenders know to foul Rondo and bail themselves out.
Prior to the trade, the Mavericks had one of the most efficient offenses in the league, scoring an astounding 115.2 points per 100 possessions. Rick Carlisle’s system requires movement off the ball with extra passes, with efficient shots down low and corner threes the two primary focuses. Since acquiring Rondo, that number has dipped significantly to 106 points per 100 possessions. Those numbers show that with Jameer Nelson running the point, the Mavericks had a much more potent offense than they currently do now. As mentioned previously, Rondo needs the ball in his hand in order to create shots for teammates, causing the offense to be stagnant at times when the ball is sticking in one player’s hand. Again, it may possibly be a case of wrong player, wrong system. This may have been the cause of the clash between coach Carlisle and the star point guard against Toronto a few days ago, as Rondo seemed to ignore the play his coach was calling for, while dribbling the ball slowly up court and taking time off the shot clock.
It’s been documented also that Rondo has had his fair share of off court clashes with teammates and staff throughout his career as well, leading to what may be a personality clash between himself and no-nonsense coach Carlisle. It was reported a few seasons ago while Rondo was in Boston, at a game film breakdown, former Celtics coach Doc Rivers had pointed out a particular play in which Rondo allegedly threw a water bottle at the screen and stormed out of the film session. Clashes with former teammate Ray Allen also led to the three-point shooting legend to leave Boston and sign with Miami.
In today’s NBA and the way the game has evolved, the formula for any elite point guard is a strong perimeter shot as well as the ability to finish around the rim. Chris Paul, Kyrie Irving, Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard, and Kyle Lowry are just a few names that spring to mind with both these qualities. Rajon Rondo was able to hide his inability to shoot with his ability to contribute on the defensive end and create for teammates by getting to the rim.
Rick Carlisle was quoted as saying his team need to make Rondo’s ‘stint as successful as possible, leading to speculation they will not re-sign the struggling guard in free agency this off-season. Unfortunately, it seems unless Rajon Rondo is willing to evolve and alter his game, much like the point guard position has evolved, his best days may be behind him.