The Sad Decline of Rajon Rondo

The Net Negative

As stated before, despite his shortcomings shooting the ball from the field or the free throw line, Rajon Rondo has usually found a way to impact the game with his ability to break down defenses, pass the ball effectively, and play tenacious defense against opponents. Unfortunately for Rondo, his offense (or lack thereof) is eclipsing any sort of other contributions he is making and negatively affecting the rest of the team.

Before Rondo arrived, the Dallas Mavericks were on pace to be one of the best teams in terms of offensive efficiency with 110.1 points per possessions. When Rondo arrived, the offense became stagnant and lacked any sort of consistent flow when he as in the game.

With Rondo on the court, the Mavericks had an offensive efficiency rating of 103.4 points. When he was off the floor, Dallas jumped 8.8 points to 112.2 points per 100 possessions. The disparity was even larger in the playoffs when teams are supposed to be playing their best with the Mavericks scoring 22.9 more points per 100 possessions with Rondo off the court.

Even on defense, where Rondo was supposed to make a consistently positive impact, the results have been surprisingly disappointing. The Mavericks weren’t exactly world stoppers before Rondo, but his presence and savvy on that end of the floor should have improved their defense, especially in the NBA playoffs. It did not.

During his short stint in the playoffs, Dallas actually gave up 133.3 points per 100 possessions with Rondo in the game. Sure, earning a defensive efficiency rating of 115.1 points when he was not in the game is not impressive either, but the fact that the Mavericks were that ineffective on defense with him in the game is huge indicator of how effective he is now.

With his offensive game lacking, and impact elsewhere in question, it’s a good thing that Rondo has his friendly demeanor to fall back on, right? RIGHT?

Next: Attitude Adjustment