Dallas Mavericks point guard Rajon Rondo was once considered one of the unquestioned elites at his position, but as the NBA has changed, Rondo's place in it is in flux. The game's shifting dynamics may cause Rondo's star to lose luster, and potentially a max contract in Los Angeles with the Lakers.
Rondo has star power and an NBA championship ring, but he does not have the type of skill set that would fit on either conference's No. 1 seeds. Rondo has elite passing skills, but shoots very poorly from 3-point range, and struggles mightily to make free throws. Defenses are known to sag off him in big games and let him beat them with jump shooting; he can't, and he can' get to the rim either because he hits less than 40 percent of his foul shots.
He was acquired by the Dallas Mavericks mid-season because they felt he would be able to add rebounding from the perimeter as well as improved defense. He has done those things, but his style of play disrupted an offense that was the best in the league when the trade went down.
In Dallas, Rondo's averaged 9.3 points and 6.5 assists; in Boston this year over a 22-game stretch Rondo had been averaging 10.8 assists. He has attempted less than one free throw a game as a Maverick. He has also had clashes with head coach Rick Carlisle, even earning himself a one-game, team-mandated suspension for brazenly arguing with Carlisle on the sideline.
As the Association moves toward "pace-and-space" concepts, with smaller lineups more suited to shooting 3-pointers, adding Rondo to a backcourt that will include Kobe Bryant might be potentially disastrous. Neither shoots efficiently from the outside, both are ball-dominant, and each player has a strong, combative personality. Neither gets to the line much anymore, and defenses might be able to hang back and let them fire away.
These are not secrets; the word is out about Rondo's deficiencies. He's turning 30 soon, he has gone through major knee surgery, and he was worth a putrid 0.6 win shares for Dallas. He will need a big statement in Round 1 to snag that big contract.
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