Rajon Rondo's fall from grace came much faster than his rise to stardom.
How the mighty has fallen. The 2008 Boston Celtics which brought Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo their only NBA titles is all but a memory.
While Garnett is on his last legs after 20 seasons and Paul Pierce is also in the last years of his storied career, Rajon Rondo, at 29 years old, should be at his peak. But discussions about Rondo are all in the past tense.
ESPN recently had a survey of their "experts" on players who would be the "worst newcomers" on their team. Rondo came out on top. They even declared that Rondo, instead of helping his team, actually pulls them back.
"Statistically, Rondo has made his teams worse for about three seasons running. The isn't a one-season blip. It's more likely that the league has passed Rondo by. Not only has the league changed, but so has Rondo."
The article cites Rondo's poor shooting percentages, which is a vital stat in today's NBA. He "averaged just 1.3 3-point attempts last season, made just 31 of his 78 free throws and took just 30 percent of his field goal attempts inside 3 feet, according to Basketball-Reference.com. Not good for any player, much less a starter on a playoff team."
Team defenses are sagging off Rondo which makes it harder for his teammates to score. Drawing away defenses to prevent a double-team is a fundamental part of an NBA offense and Rondo just doesn't get any respect from defenders anymore.
But Rondo is still a great passer as reflected in his assist numbers, right? The article calls his assists "empty" because "while it is true Rondo racks up a ton of assists, those occur on just 10 possessions on a given night. On the other 60 or so possessions Rondo is on the floor, the defense knows what he wants to do -- get rid of the ball -- and they're using it against him."
Today's Fastbreak also gave a verdict on Rondo, specifically his one year, $ 10 million contract with the Sacramento Kings.
"Rondo reportedly said he wanted a one-year deal to reclaim his lost status as a max-level player, but he likely didn't have much of a choice. After the year he just had, it would be hard for a GM to justify giving Rondo a long-term contract."
The fit is questionable for Rondo in Sacramento, who needs outside shooters for DeMarcus Cousins to operate. Observers even predict they will have chemistry issues. This is probably Rondo's last stand to prove he's elite, or even NBA-worthy.