The Sad Decline of Rajon Rondo

Offensive Offense

You would think if you sit out close to a year without playing full contact basketball, working on things like a jump shot or free throws (you know, essential fundamentals that require no contact) would be simple and safe enough to manage. Not saying Rajon Rondo did not do any of that while he was out recovering from a torn ACL, but it sure did not look like he did.

When Rondo reappeared from his forced hiatus due to the knee injury, he returned and continued to be a triple-double threat. However, one thing that did not improve was his ability to score.

When he returned during the 2013-14 season, Rondo shot 40.3 percent from the field, a full 8.1 percentage points below where he was prior to the knee injury. This season, as a Boston Celtic, he was shooting a nearly equally abysmal 40.5 percent from the field and converting on only 57.1 percent from shots within three feet of the basket.

Those shooting numbers would improve when he arrived in Dallas, but one thing that still did not improve to an acceptable level was his free throw shooting. While in Boston, Rondo was shooting 33.3 percent from the free throw line. When he came to the Dallas Mavericks, he “improved” to a still-dreadful 45.2 percent from the charity stripe.

Usually, Rondo could find success without having to impact the game by putting points up himself, but teams began begging for him to take shots because they could live with the result of a player who is only shooting 44.4 percent from two point range, and 31.4 percent from three-point range. With Rondo unable to keep teams honest with a steady jump shot, his driving and passing lanes have been shut down making things more difficult for his teams to be successful.

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