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Rajon Rondo: High assists, low impact
Rajon Rondo has the most assists in the league by far. He's 15th in steals after residing in the top 10 most of the season. Among guards, he's second in rebounding. Sounds like one of the best players in the game.
But consider this: In each of his past three seasons, Rondo's teams have played two points better per 100 possessions when he has been on the bench.
That was true in Boston and Dallas (where his teams were about six points better with him sitting), and it's true in Sacramento.
After last season's debacle with the Mavericks, Rondo has been widely praised for bouncing back, but the Kings, while not especially successful when Rondo sits, are even worse when he plays.
When he plays, his inability to hit shots from outside the paint allows defenders to go under every single screen, making pick-and-roll action very difficult. When he's not involved in a pick-and-roll, his defender can sag toward the paint further than usual, clogging the lane for his teammates' drives.
Other concerns: He typically walks the ball up the floor nonchalantly, burning valuable seconds off the shot clock. Rondo also has been especially careless with the ball this season, turning it over more than four times per 36 minutes and increasing the team's turnover rate by two percentage points (he posted similar numbers in Dallas). And his abysmal 57 percent free throw shooting costs the Kings as well.
The biggest issue with Rondo, though, appears to be his defensive impact, as the Kings allow 4.5 more points per 100 possessions when he is on the floor. While he has a knack for steals, he no longer puts great pressure on the opposing point guard, often just waiting for the opponents to shoot.
Earlier this season, Rondo appeared to be part of the Kings' revival as the team moved into the playoff race. But now the Kings have lost five of six games, and their playoff odds appear slimmer every day. With Rondo soon to be 30 years old, and a free agent, should the Kings really make him a cornerstone of their future?
