The Sad Decline of Rajon Rondo
By Daniel Tran
From all-star to no star, Rajon Rondo’s journey from stardom to “injured” player has taken a turn for the worst.
It’s a long fall from the top, and Rajon Rondo keeps tumbling down the NBA mountain, and leaving millions on the table on the way down. Hard to believe that this was once the All-Star point guard that the Boston Celtics hoped to build around after Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen got too old or ticked off Danny Ainge by eating the last M&M from the candy jar (probably).
After being the fourth wheel to Boston’s Big Three, Rondo began asserting himself as a peer rather than a piece along for the ride. Subsequently after winning the NBA Championship in 2008 when he was largely looked at as an afterthought, Rondo steadily improved his game each season, especially passing the ball.
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In two seasons from 2011-2013, Rajon Rondo led the NBA in assists per game, averaging 11.7 and 11.1 assists in those seasons respectively. Though he did not possess a jump shot and was ineffective from the free throw line, he was a good enough finisher at the rim and carved teams up with his passing, earning four All-Star Game selections from 2009-2013.
Although he had glaring deficiencies in his ability to score, the hope was that he still had time to develop those areas to become unstoppable. That time still has not come for Rondo.
Instead, what fans are left with is a Rajon Rondo that has been shut down for the rest of the 2014-15 season with a “back injury” who will turn 30 years old next season with little sign that there is going to be any more evolution to his game. This is causing him to be brought down from a guaranteed max contract to a player who is going to get low-balled by good teams because he just can’t produce right now.
The source of Rondo’s decline can be traced back to his days in Boston with an injury that may have affected him more than anyone wanted to believe it did. From there, there was trickle down effect which caused further harm to his game and the kind of opportunities he has in free agency this summer. Let’s start with the injury.
Next: The Injury