Rajon Rondo
Age: 30
Height: 6-foot-1
Career stats: 32.9 mpg; 11 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 8.7 apg, 1.8 spg, 0.1 bpg; 46.8/28.9/60.6 shooting splits
2015-16 stats: 72 games, 35.2 mpg; 11.9 ppg, 6 rpg, 11.7 apg, 2 spg, 0.1 bpg; 45.4/36.5/58.0 shooting splits
Strengths:
• Passing: Rondo’s passing is by far the most impressive aspect of his game, and he is truly brilliant. He averaged a ridiculous 11.7 assists in the 2015-16 and is a championship point guard.
• Versatility: Rondo is a great stat-stuffer, collecting points, rebounds, assists, and steals with regularity. He is a triple-double threat when engaged and can impact the game on multiple fronts.
• IQ: Rondo is a high-IQ point guard who’s been tempered by the playoff gauntlets of his Boston years. He will always offer a level of championship experience that other point guards don’t.
Weaknesses:
• Shooting: Rondo can’t shoot. His three-point and free throw shooting percentages have been below-average his whole career, and his peculiar form will never yield true consistent shooting.
• Head Case: Rondo is a notorious head case, clashing with coaches, management, and teammates ever since Boston and the Ray Allen beef. Any team taking the chance on him must be aware of his volatile locker room tendencies.
• Investment: Rondo has been known to play less well when he’s less motivated — most notably during his stints with the Mavericks and his later Boston years. If he’s not invested, he offers much less as a player. Playoffs Rondo is a completely different story, though.
Why the Warriors make sense:
There aren’t many reasons why the Warriors make sense for Rondo, but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t be able to find a useful role for him. A player with his point guard chops and championship experience could be a useful backup for last year’s champs as they battle back against expectations, failure, and doubt. Rondo can offer a calm head under pressure and is another ball handler to solidify the bench. He wouldn’t get the playing time he wants, but the Warriors offer a great chance at another ring and need reinforcements.
Why the Warriors don’t make sense:
Rajon Rondo simply doesn’t fit with the Warriors team. Their styles are incompatible, since the Warriors drive the small ball pace and space revolution while Rondo is a remnant from an older era of ball-dominant true point guards. Throw in his limited shooting ability and there isn’t much that Rondo has to offer the Warriors. He also doesn’t fit the high-character profile that the Warriors organization cultivates in their players, and the discord he’s involved in at every one of his NBA stops makes him too much of a risk to even consider.