The Sacramento Kings took a $10 million gamble on Rajon Rondo, and it's
paying off
by Scott Davis
Rajon Rondo had one of the most unceremonious endings to a season in recent
memory.
After his trade to the Dallas Mavericks turned out to be a disaster, Rondo
was sent home from the team in the middle of a first-round playoff series,
effectively ending his year.
It was the worst possible timing, as Rondo was about to become a free agent.
He didn't fit a solid Mavs team at all, had problems with the coach, and
overall looked like an outdated point guard in today's pace-and-space NBA.
When Rondo hit free agency, it seemed there was little interest in him. After
striking out on free agents they valued more, the Kings and Rondo settled on
a one-year, $9.5 million deal.
13 games into the season, it has looked like one of the smarter signings that
nobody saw coming.
Rondo is currently leading the Kings in minutes while averaging 12.6 points
per game, 7.6 rebounds, 10.2 assists, and nearly two steals. His 43%
shooting, 31% from three, and four turnovers per game leave a little to be
desired, but across the board, he's improved from last season. (His 31%
three-point shooting would actually tie his career-best mark).
Rondo already has four triple-doubles this season, and the Kings are 2-2 in
those games. He's beginning to regain his form when he was on the Celtics and
consistently led the league in triple-doubles.
Due to the Kings' record, advanced stats don't necessarily do Rondo many
favors. The Kings offensive rating improves only marginally when he's on the
court, but their defensive rating actually falls, giving him a negative net
rating. This happens on 4-9 teams.
other teams.
Much of this is due to Rondo playing in his loose, freestyle fashion of
yesteryear.
It's also notable that thus far, Rondo's attitude problems haven't seemed to
surface. Amidst the chaos of Cousins and George Karl, seemingly all has been
quiet around Rondo, who has a history of being a somewhat contentious
personality in the locker room.
Instead, the Kings have gotten near-peak Rondo — the Swiss Army Knife point
guard who can dictate a game in few ways other point guards can.
If his play keeps up, and perhaps more importantly, continues to show
chemistry with Cousins, it'll be interesting to see how much the Kings are
willing to shell out to keep him around. Rondo is having his best season in
years, and if he keeps it up, he'll hit free agency as the salary cap
explodes. Given that the Kings gave Rondo a shot after a disastrous finish to
the season, they may have mutual feelings about a reunion.
国王队赌了Rondo一把10m的赌注，而它正开始有了回报
Rondo上个赛季的结局十分唐突。
在他被交易到达拉斯后，小牛队简直陷入了灾难，而Rondo也在季后赛第一轮就
被球队送回老家，实质上的结束了上个赛季。
这自然是一最糟糕的时机进入自由市场，无法融入球队，和教练交恶，还在现代
的比赛步调中，成为了一个过时的控球后卫。
当Rondo成为自由球员时，市场对他的兴趣并不高。在评估了许多后，Rondo和国
王达成一笔9.5m的一年约。
现在，13场比赛过去了，这笔合约看起来像是一个独具慧眼的绝妙补强。
Rondo是现在国王队中上场时间最高的球员，夹带着场均12.6分，7.6篮板10.2助攻
以及接近2的抄截数。43%的命中率和31%的三分球命中率，似乎还有进步的空间，
但整体看来，已经比去年赛季大幅进步。
(事实上31%的三分命中率已经超越他的生涯最佳单季三分命中率)
注:今日为止36.4%
Rondo本季已经累积了4次大三元，而这四场国王的战绩是两胜两负。他开始回到
那个在赛尔提克队时，全联盟大三元领跑者的状态。
根据国王队的纪录，进阶数据并没有肯定Rondo太多。Rondo在场上时，国王队的
Off Rating只有轻微的提升，但Def Rating却下降了，这给了他负的Net Rating
这只发生在4到9个球队里。大多是因为Rondo用着他去年散漫、我行我素的方式
在打球。
然而，那些Cousins和Rondo共同上场的比赛中(因伤缺阵5场)，国王战绩是四胜四负。
当他们两个同时在场上时，有4.0的Net Rating，这意味着他们领先了许多球队。
另一件值得注意的是，Rondo的态度问题似乎尚未浮现。被夹在Cousins和Karl的
混乱中，Rondo的周围反倒十分安静。在过去，他有着影响休息室气氛的争议性格。
如果他的表现能持续上升，并且继续和Cousins展现出化学效应，国王队会愿意付
出多少将他留下，会很有意思。Rondo打出近几年最好的球季，如果可以持续下去
那他将会冲击薪资上限爆炸的自由市场。有鉴于国王队在那种艰难时刻给了Rondo
机会，双方应该对于再次的合作都有些默契。