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At the conclusion of the last two practices in Waltham, Rajon Rondo has stayed on the floor and fired a series of deep jumpers in a workout that calls to mind the displays James Posey put on after practices last year and the ones Ray Allen has made a trademark.

Rondo, who puts up a combination of three-point shots and deep two-pointers right off the catch, said the workout has come with some encouragement.

"I`ve got a thing going on with [Kevin Garnett], so every time I`m in the gym I`ve got to shoot a fair amount of shots," he said. "It`s something I decided on and something that he said would pay off in the end. I was shooting shots, but it wasn`t really consistent. Now, it`s like every day I shoot after practice."

Link: http://www.boston.com/sports/ot/2009/01 ... _case.html

He just started doing that now?!?!?! He is a horrible shooter but hasn`t been working on his weakness consistently until now? No wonder he still can`t shoot.

Can`t believe what I just read. It is great that he added this to his routine but it should have been done years ago...Thanks Kevin, for reminding the guy that he can only get better at it if he actually works on it.

thebirdman wrote:He just started doing that now?!?!?! He is a horrible shooter but hasn`t been working on his weakness consistently until now? No wonder he still can`t shoot.

Can`t believe what I just read. It is great that he added this to his routine but it should have been done years ago...Thanks Kevin, for reminding the guy that he can only get better at it if he actually works on it.

No kidding. WTF took him so mother **** long to start practice shooting? He's only the worst shooting starting PG in the league by a long shot.

Pro ballplayers thrive off of confidence and don't like to show weaknesses. Only the best players really take the time to attack their weaknesses. Think about all the talented big men that can't keep the weight off, lights out scorers that put out zero effort on D, etc. This is part of the maturation process for Rondo and I like that KG is pushing him to do this. I only hope that they have an agreement where KG has to post three or four times every game for every jumper that Rondo hits

lol....damn

I love heinsohn wrote:Pro ballplayers thrive off of confidence and don't like to show weaknesses. Only the best players really take the time to attack their weaknesses. Think about all the talented big men that can't keep the weight off, lights out scorers that put out zero effort on D, etc. This is part of the maturation process for Rondo and I like that KG is pushing him to do this. I only hope that they have an agreement where KG has to post three or four times every game for every jumper that Rondo hits

That's not true. You see a lot of guys who develop skills they didn't have coming out. For example, Tyrus Thomas was strictly an athlete and a dunker in college, but now he's added a mid-range jumper. Things like D has more to do with energy and athleticism, things not easily improved upon, than jumpshooting, which is more of a skill you can improve with practice. But even those players with crappy D get better at it by being more aware of where you need to be, not falling for fakes as easily, etc.

You don't get to be as good a point guard as Rondo without working hard, and he has talked about how much he's worked on his j during the off-season. Sure, it sounds as if he might have been a little lackadaisical in his practice in that area, perhaps embarrassed in part in front of his peers. He also has talked about how much Ray's approach has influenced him, but it sounds like KG challenged him in this area, he's stepped up, and he's admitted it. Good for KG, good for Rondo.

LOL i thought this was going to be a positive thread.

seriously, you guys are harsh. rondo has worked very hard on his jumper, it's SOOOO much better than it was. but during the season there is only so much time to practice. and i'm sure rondo has a lot on his plate.

you guys are probably also sitting around going "damn, hasn't obama fixed the economy yet? he's been on the job like two days! doesn't he realize it's a serious problem? wtf is he waiting for???"

He's second among all guards (not just point guards) in fg percentage, .7 behind leader Nelson. His jumper is improving. There's not a lot to complain about here.

Let's just hope he doesn't wear his arms out by going all out with shooting drills midseason though, he has to learn to gradually build this stuff up. Thankfully he has Ray to teach him all this stuff though.


In related news, do we need Kevin to have a word with Perk about going right up with the ball?

Has anyone else noticed a subtle change in Rondo's shooting form? His motions are a little slower and more deliberate, which suggests he's trying to put new physical habits into practice.

Practicing deep 2s and 3s off the catch? Great stuff Rajon. However, if you could find a way to squeeze in free throws as well, we'd really appreciate that too. Thanks buddy!!

Love,
Celtic Nation

Yeah, I don't think they are breaking news that Rondo just started to practice shooting. I remember reading summer stories about him working on his jump shot. This is the kind of stuff that people write when they run out of important things to write

free throws would be a nice addition to whatever drills hes doing after practice.

Good to see him do it though, strange its only jsut started tbh... and great that KG is helping him out

At least he started now.

Gant wrote:He's second among all guards (not just point guards) in fg percentage, .7 behind leader Nelson. His jumper is improving. There's not a lot to complain about here.

Well the problem is that almost all of Rondo's shots are layups. With the amount of lay-ups he takes he should be shooting 65% from the field.

Joebiscuit wrote:

Gant wrote:He's second among all guards (not just point guards) in fg percentage, .7 behind leader Nelson. His jumper is improving. There's not a lot to complain about here.

Well the problem is that almost all of Rondo's shots are layups. With the amount of lay-ups he takes he should be shooting 65% from the field.

I look at it like this: Any player helps his team when he does things he can and hurts his team when he does things he can't. Rondo plays within his game, shoots a very high percentage (higher than almost any pure shooter you can name), is a great passer, a great rebounding point guard, a great defender, and sets the pace.

He's improved steadily. He works hard. He'll develop a jump shot.

He just destroyed Devin Harris and Steve Nash in consecutive games. I don't see the cause for concern.

Gant wrote:

Joebiscuit wrote:

Gant wrote:He's second among all guards (not just point guards) in fg percentage, .7 behind leader Nelson. His jumper is improving. There's not a lot to complain about here.

Well the problem is that almost all of Rondo's shots are layups. With the amount of lay-ups he takes he should be shooting 65% from the field.

I look at it like this: Any player helps his team when he does things he can and hurts his team when he does things he can't. Rondo plays within his game, shoots a very high percentage (higher than almost any pure shooter you can name), is a great passer, a great rebounding point guard, a great defender, and sets the pace.

He's improved steadily. He works hard. He'll develop a jump shot.

He just destroyed Devin Harris and Steve Nash in consecutive games. I don't see the cause for concern.

Don't get me wrong, it's great that Rondo doesn't shoot a ton of shots he won't make, but the problem is that when all you can score on are layups, it reduces the amount of shots you can/will take. And as a result, he is not an efficient scorer. Plus, his true shooting percentage is not nearly as good as other point guards because he can't shoot threes or make free throws

The thing that's mostly limiting Rondo's shots is he's a pass first point playing with three hall of famers.

Rondo's about 12th in the league in TS% among starting points (about the same as Tony Parker).

He's also 4th in assist ratio.
2nd in rebound rate.
3rd in steals (2nd per minute).
2nd in fg%.
1st by far in defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions).

So yes he has some things to work on: His free throw shooting is poor. His jumper has been bad but it's getting better. He's young and sometimes inconsistent.

Rondo gives you a package of speed, huge hands, defense, passing and other skills that make him very formidable and he's improving.

He has outplayed many of the leagues top point guards this season: Harris, Calderon, Miller, Nash, Iverson, Deron Williams etc. That's not shabby.

He'll improve the jumper and when he does he'll be right up there among the league's top points (except for Chris Paul) and will be a multiple all star.

mr_sunshine wrote:At least he started now.

Starting late is better then never!

thebirdman wrote:

At the conclusion of the last two practices in Waltham, Rajon Rondo has stayed on the floor and fired a series of deep jumpers in a workout that calls to mind the displays James Posey put on after practices last year and the ones Ray Allen has made a trademark.

Rondo, who puts up a combination of three-point shots and deep two-pointers right off the catch, said the workout has come with some encouragement.

"I`ve got a thing going on with [Kevin Garnett], so every time I`m in the gym I`ve got to shoot a fair amount of shots," he said. "It`s something I decided on and something that he said would pay off in the end. I was shooting shots, but it wasn`t really consistent. Now, it`s like every day I shoot after practice."

Link: http://www.boston.com/sports/ot/2009/01 ... _case.html

He just started doing that now?!?!?! He is a horrible shooter but hasn`t been working on his weakness consistently until now? No wonder he still can`t shoot.

Can`t believe what I just read. It is great that he added this to his routine but it should have been done years ago...Thanks Kevin, for reminding the guy that he can only get better at it if he actually works on it.

Attention to detail, please. The key word is "every", as in he was working on it before both during practice and afterwards, but now he is making a point to do this on a daily basis in a structured way. Success in the NBA, as in most other professions, is built upon good habits and reliable and regular routines. Ray Allen is borderline deranged in his adherence to a strict routine.