I am disappointed in Rajon Rondo

[return2glory]

I thought this would be the year that Rondo really broke out and had a great year. Losing Posey was big for us, but i felt that an improved Rondo would soften the blow of losing Poesy. While early, that hasn't happened yet. Rondo has not shown any improvement since last season.

I was hoping Rondo would start to knock down more outside shots and help this team by improving his offense game. But Rondo looks really bad offensively. He hardly ever looks to take an open shot. After 9 games, Rondo has made only one outside shot.

With all the shooting he does between games and in the off season, why does he still suck as a shooter? I read somewhere that Rondo wanted to become a top 3 PG in this league. That isn't going to happen until he starts improving his outside shot. Right now, he isn't even top 15 IMO.

[CeltsfanSinceBirth]

Phew! I thought I was the only one who was thinking this. His unwillingness to take the wide open jumper is very disconcerting. I'll give him credit though - he has been a lot more aggressive at taking it to the hoop thus far.

As odd as it is to say - Rondo's jumper looked a lot better last year than it has this year.

[Fencer reregistered]

His passing, however, is increasingly a thing of beauty.

It seems as if offensively he's succeeded in improving his strengths, but not so much in improving his weaknesses.

[AlCelticFan]

I agree with you guys.

He knows he needs a jumper, so hopefully someone will remind him.....

[humblebum]

I think as the season goes on all of our guys are going to settle in offensively, including Rondo. We've seen flashes this season of potential offensive dominance. Eddie House in the preseason with his shot. Ray against Houston when he toyed with T-Mac. Pierce the last two games. KG last night. Powe and Tony Allen in spurts. Rondo with his relentless drives. Perkins against the Rockets. This team has a lot of offensive firepower, however they've failed to put it together consistently.

Rondo has been a bit dissappointing thus far in his reluctance to take the open shot. And truly, I believe his confidence in the jumper is THE key to our offense. I don't think that Doc and Co. are ignorant to this issue and I think we'll see Rondo steadily work that part of his game into the team concept. When he starts sshowing confidence (notice how I'm not saying he has to shoot a high percentage, he just needs to take the right shots to keep the offensive flow) the team will be much more effective. And I'm sure he'll hit enough shots to make teams think twice about leaving him.

[BillessuR6]

I was thinking of making the same thread today. Agree completely with what you said R2G. I am very disappointed with Rondo I don`t know what he was doing during the offseason but he looks worse than last year.

He is shooting 54% from the freethrow line! That is unacceptable! I can not remember a PG shooting worse % from the line...

I hope Pruitt gets his chance in the next few games. He deserves it!

[campybatman]

Yeah... Even Kidd got better over the years, but Rondo looks unenthusiastic whenever he shoots it. I thought I'd read he was working hard on shooting over the summer. Is the coaching staff telling him not to shoot. Ugh. And his free throw shooting is like watching Varitek up at bat.

[bawstin]

For somebody who's *really* not a shooter, their in-game shooting is going to lag far behind their real shooting skill. The normal process of developing the skill is going to be followed by a period of developing confidence, and if you're playing with KG, PP, and RA, you have to convince yourself that your jumpshot is a high percentage shot for the team relative to those guys... Perkins is going through the same thing. He makes a decent percentage of his post up shots, but he only takes one or two a game. He'd make even more with more reps and more comfort.

I'm sure he's working on it and I'm sure you'll see more and more of it. The timeline is just going to be longer than you expect.

[Celtsfan1980]

He had a short time between seasons, plus the injury likely prevented him from practising his jumpers too much. I can see the frustration, but there could be reasons behind it.

[Havlicek17]

I heard Rondo say in an interview that one of his goals this year was to go to the basket and the foul line more often. Since I heard him say it, I have noticed that he is going to the basket more often and looking for the contact. Unfortunatey, when he does get a foul call, he's not hitting his foul shots.

No worries, he's young, I expect he'll improve in all aspects as the year goes on.

[hickfromfrenchlick]

His jumper's never going to look like Ray's, but don't give up on him being a decent shooter. Tony Parker took a few years to get to the point where people respected his shot.

I'm not saying it's likely to happen, just that I'm not giving up hope.

[Rocky5000]

Who do you think we could trade Rondo for? What's his value right now? Would a Mike Conley, Sergio Rodriguez, Kyle Lowry, Raymond Felton, or a Hinrich, do any better? Rondo may not be the best shooter, but he is one of the best defenders at his position, and one of the best rebounding point guards in the league. Is giving up that worth the improvement in shooting we'd get with someone else? Not in my opinion.

[Harison]

The bad:
1. Rondo shoots FT worse than center Perkins, thats ridiculous.
2. His jumper more off than last year.

The good:
1. I love his assists, he's improving passing year after year.
2. Layups and more agressive play is also very nice (if only he could make FTs...).

I dont think we should bash him though, he is pissed on himself more than we could ever be I'm sure he is working on FTs and jumpers as we speak, and he should be ready when it really matters, for playoffs.

[GuyClinch]

I would have liked to see more improvement out of Rondo. But he is already very good - and fantastic in some aspects of the game. Plus he is a great fit for us. It's unrealistic to expect every good young player to "grow" into a great one. I did think at the end of last year his jumper was starting to come around enough so that people would actually think about guarding him. Hopefully he can at least get back to that level. Same with TA. Don't these guys practice their Js?!

[campybatman]

Personally, I wouldn't go as far as to trade Rondo for his inability to be a better shooter or to do so in general. Still, is it too much to ask of ownership to put a tad extra in Ray's salary, under the table of course, to tutor Rondo. I'm kidding... But, I remember watching a few highlights of Rondo as a Wildcat and he'd looked like he readily took shots whether he was open or not.

[John Locke]

Just a reminder: The same things were being said in the beginning of last season, well not the same things, but people were doubting Rondo. It's still very early in the season and he will progress as it continue, I have no doubt about that.

The skillset he brings to the table is very, very rare and he is a perfect fit for this team. He is an unselfish player with an incredible talent for finding the open man. He's the type of guy players love to play with. He is an old-school, pass first PG.

He will start knocking down more shots, but what do you guys need more? We're 8-1.

[BillessuR6]

Just a reminder: The same things were being said in the beginning of last season, well not the same things, but people were doubting Rondo. It's still very early in the season and he will progress as it continue, I have no doubt about that.

I agree, after the negative threads about him at the start of last season he made huge progress during the year. I am hoping this thread will have the same effect on him!

The magical powers of Realgm...

[Kids Are Alright]

Its' just that he puts a lot more pressure on the scorers when Joe Johnson can match up with him and be a help defender all night long.
Those foul shots are like watching TA shoot his FTs off his shoulder except he doesn't follow-thru, as TA does.
For the record, Rondo's jumpshot watch is now at two made, he made a jumper in one of the early games too.
That second deep corner shot against the Hawks missed everything, I don't think he actually looked at the basket. I think he must be a real nervous shooter...Ray Allen in an interview said that Rajon worked hard all summer on is shot and he stil shoots like a kid that has just had his growth spurt and hasn't learned to take a proper J.
I don't see him ever being an all-star pg, he'll likely be a jeckel-hyde (sp), but I'd never swap him for any of the other pgs we've had over the last 5 years.
One thing he ought to do, even as a nonshooter, finish shots in the paint, really no point in just tossing up shots in the paint.

[MyInsatiableOne]

I agree either Rondo needs to start TAKING the J when it's there or he needs to work on it more. But he's starting to do what drove me NUTS about him in the playoffs last year, and that's pass up open jumpers or layups to make a more complicated pass to someone for a lower-% shot. ARRGGHH!!

And don't get me wrong, in every other aspect I love the kid, but this needs attention pronto

[sully00]

That jumper is not going to improve a ton. It can be better than the 15% he is shooting it at but unless he is willing to really break that thing down and start again I don't think he is ever going to be a good jump shooter.

That said he is finishing has improved greatly and he is getting to the line twice as much but his FT% is awful. There is no reason for him not to just tear up what he does at the line and start over, right now. He could throw them up there underhand Rick Barry style I don't care but this kid practices his FT's a ton but if you practice bad technique you are not going to improve much.

I don't have a huge problem if Rondo is giving this team 10/7/4 with over a steal and half a game. Right now his FT shooting is actually ahead of last season. Not that the list of worries is long when your are 8-1 but I am not super concerned with Rondo at this point.