Fansided

The Sad Decline of Rajon Rondo

By Daniel Tran

Apr 13, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Rajon Rondo (9) leaves the court after losing to the Utah Jazz 109-92 at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 13, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Rajon Rondo (9) leaves the court after losing to the Utah Jazz 109-92 at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 14, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo (9) lying injured on the court during the first quarter of the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports /

The Injury

In 2013, Rondo was on his way to a career year, averaging 13.7 points and a league-leading 11.1 assists per game that season. Though his free throw shooting was still suspect, he was shooting 64.5 percent from the charity stripe, which is his second-best percentage for his career, and he was coming off of his third consecutive All-Star berth.

The Boston Celtics were in the middle of season where they hadn’t hit their stride yet, holding a 20-22 record and playing at the Philips Arena against the Atlanta Hawks in a hotly contested game on a January 27, 2013. In the fourth quarter with the Celtics holding a narrow lead at 98-96, Rondo drives into the paint and leaves his feet to pass to Kevin Garnett in the right corner. When he lands, he hyperextends his knee and comes up limp.

To no one’s surprise, Rondo finished out the game with a noticeable limp. After all, this is the same the guy that continued to play after dislocating his elbow against the Miami Heat in 2011. Boston went on to lose the game in double overtime, but not before Rondo finished with a triple-double, notching 16 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists.

However, it was revealed the next day that Rondo had suffered an ACL tear that would knock him out for the remainder of the season, and causing him to miss a majority of the next season recovering and rehabilitating. Two years after the injury, he just has not looked the same.

It is not like the injury completely robbed him of his athleticism, but it does appear that the time he took off was not productive, leading into the second cause of his decline.

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