In this ESPN article, Tom Haberstroh breaks down the 'breakdown' of Rajon Rondo. Most of us, when things go south, hesitate to look in the mirror. Rondo, a basketball savant, has to be chafing at both the lack of respect and the analytics.
Haberstroh breaks down Rondo's "Moreyball" statistics, those valued by Houston Rockets' GM Daryl Morey - three point goals, free throws, and scores at the rim. He labels them 'threes, freebies, and bunnies.' Rondo stands at rock bottom, compared with leaders Steph Curry and Russell Westbrook.
Rondo's not a good perimeter shooter, is an abysmal free throw shooter, and isn't going to score at the rim as rim protectors won't hesitate to foul a non-shooter.
Rondo likes to fatten his stats with flashy assists, but teams have caught on, sagging off Rondo and playing him strictly for the pass. That has resulted in poorer scoring results for his teams (points per 100 possessions) with him than without him on the floor.
Bottom line is that the rapidly evolving NBA, placing a premium on both three point shooting attempts and effective field goal percentage has rendered the former World Champion a dinosaur not a dynasty builder. It could be a long year in Sacramento as Rondo seeks to revive his career.
