Once upon a time Rajon Rondo was a perennial all-star dazing defenders with flawless passes and stout defense that elevated him into the conversation of top point guards in the NBA. Then, injuries plagued him for two years and the Celtics were forced to start their rebuild without him.
Around this time last year, Rajon Rondo was streaming through the rumor mill as the Celtics looked to deal their former All-Star point guard in what would be his final year of his contract. He landed a home in Dallas, where many of its fans and players assumed they would get the triple-double threat that would take an already stout offense and an uninspiring defense to the next level where they can compete with the guard infested west that includes the likes of Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook, CP3, Damien Lillard, Tony Parker and Mike Conley.
However, it didn’t take long for the Mavericks to realize that they weren’t receiving the kind of production that came along with his name value. In fact, their offense, which was ranked in the top 10 in offensive efficiency, averaging 113.6 points per 100 possessions prior to the trade, dipped to the bottom half in efficiency, averaging 105 points per 100 possessions. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand why the drastic dip in production occurred, as Rick Carlisle runs a pace and space offense that relies heavily on ball movement and outside shooting - something Rondo simply could not provide.
The problem was Rondo’s basketball personality, as he is a ball dominant point guard who orchestrates the offense and puts players in positions to succeed. Sound familiar? That’s because it is, Carlisle is the play caller of that team and ultimately runs the offense on almost every possession which conflicted with Rondo’s skill set and the two often butted heads. Rondo’s numbers didn’t help as he was averaging 9.3 ppg, 4.5 reb, 6.5 ast on 45.5% shooting from the line - all career lows. It got so tense that the two parties mutually parted ways after the first game of the playoffs versus Houston.
Fast Forward to today and we are seeing the Rondo of old in a familiar system that he ran with Doc Rivers in Boston. In the 32 games he’s played thus far, the Kentucky product is averaging 12 ppg, 6.4 reb, and a league leading 11.3 assists a game. He is also 2nd in the league in triple-doubles behind Draymond Green with 4. You can say Rajon Rondo is back to his old self, zipping passes through defenders, nagging opposing guards (Curry stopper?) , and picking his spots to score. It almost looks like the Kings found a gem with his generous 1 year deal worth $9.5 million.
But are the Kings where they want to be almost halfway through the regular season? Well, with a 13-20 record that is good for 10th place in the western conference, not really. You can point out the injuries to big men Demarcus Cousins, who’s missed 8 games this season, and rookie Willie Cauley-Stein who’s missed 18 games. But overall, the Kings do not look like a playoff team right now, but they’re not far from it. They have arguably the best big man in the game in Demarcus Cousins, who is averaging 24.4 points and 10.3 rebounds, although he is shooting a career low 42.8% from the field.
This team is still growing with each other, the chemistry is not quite there yet, and tensions between head coach George Karl and Cousins won’t deteriorate anytime soon. With an offensive efficiency of 102.1 that ranks 12th in the NBA as well as a defensive efficiency that ranks 25th in the league with 105.5, the Kings lack an identity. They aren’t prolific enough on offense to overcome their porous defense in an offensively stacked western conference.
But there is hope Sacramento fans. And that hope resides in two All-Stars that continue to build continuity and chemistry. Rondo isn’t getting the national attention he deserves in large part because he plays for the lowly Kings, but he is certainly making his presence felt.
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