Nov 28, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo (9) goes between Chicago Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich (12) and Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic (44) during the second half of the Chicago Bulls 109-102 win over the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Rajon Rondo‘s Stats: 8.2 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 10.8 APG, .395 FG%
Rondo is suffering through his worst scoring effort since his rookie season, nearly a full two and a half points less per game than his worst non-rookie scoring campaign (10.6 PPG in 2010-2011). Even when he was an All-Star (2010-2013), he never scored more than 13.7 PPG, so it’s not like we’re looking at a 20 point scorer who is going through a dreadful slump. Still, from 2007 through 2012, Rondo was playing alongside the likes of some players you might have heard of: Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen. Rondo was rarely asked to carry the offensive load, scoring-wise, although he showed that he could do so on certain occasions, most notably his 44-point effort in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat.
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Now that the Celtics are in the midst of a rebuild, however, Rondo SHOULD be expected to shoulder more of the offensive load – but as he has shown 21 games into this season, he is entirely incapable of doing so. Rondo is scoring less points per game than Evan Turner, Brandon Bass, and Kelly Olynyk, and is tied with Marcus Thornton. Every single one of those players comes off the bench, folks. As much fun as it has been to watch Boston average over 100 points per game this season, reality is beginning to settle in: Boston only has one player capable of producing 20 points per game – Jeff Green – so as the season goes on, the Celtics are going to need to find offense from someone – but odds are, it won’t be Rondo.
Rondo has scored less than ten points twelve times this season . . . four or fewer points seven times this season . . . and two or fewer points a whopping five times. (I should never, ever have to type “two or fewer” together). In the twelve games that Rondo has failed to crack double digits, Boston is 2-10, and has scored 100 points or less five times. Unless the team morphs into a defensive juggernaut in the near future, Boston is going to have to continue to rank among the NBA’s best offenses in order to stay competitive, and I just don’t see this roster maintaining a 104.2 PPG scoring average with Rondo.