Rajon Rondo: Motivated PG Legitimizes Dallas Mavericks

Entering the 2014-15 NBA regular season, the Dallas Mavericks were a trendy pick to contend for the NBA championship. With Tyson Chandler returning to town and Chandler Parsons hopping on board, Rick Carlisle had a roster equipped with significant talent.

Then the Mavericks traded for Rajon Rondo.

Then everything changed.

Rondo, a four-time All-Star with the Boston Celtics, has experienced his fair share of woes over the past few seasons. He suffered a torn ACL in January of 2013 and his all-around game appeared to subsequently decline in certain areas.

According to Jay King of MassLive.com, Rondo confirmed the notion with a surprising comment before his return to Boston: he hasn’t played defense in years.

That’s disheartening for Celtics fans, but encouraging for the Mavericks.

With Rondo turning his attention back to defense and becoming more aggressive as a scorer, Dallas has added an entirely new element. He’s not only the premier facilitator of his generation, but a dynamic all-around contributor.

A motivated Rondo means a legitimized championship dream for the Mavericks.

Commitment to Defense

Prior to Rajon Rondo’s self-proclaimed multi-year hiatus from playing defense, he was one of the best in the world. Not only was he a master of racking up steals, but he possessed positional versatility and dominant man-to-man ability.

According to Rondo himself, he’s returned his focus to the end of the floor where he made his name.

In 2009-10, Rondo led the league in steals with a then career-best 2.3 per game. He posted that same mark the following season and has a career average of 1.9 per contest.

Beyond the statistics, Rondo’s earned a reputation as one of the most dynamic on-ball defenders in the league.

The 28-year-old is a four-time All-Defense honoree with two First Team selections. He has signature performances in both the regular season and playoffs, including multiple memorable battles with LeBron James.

Come the postseason, where star-caliber scorers are abundant in the Western Conference, Rondo’s value will be massive. He’ll not only serve as a lockdown defender, but a player who can guard multiple positions.

So long as he can continue to develop his newfound ability to space the floor, Rondo could be a younger and more capable version of Jason Kidd on the 2011 champion Mavericks.

Focus as a Scorer

Throughout his tenure with the Boston Celtics, Rajon Rondo was a pure point guard. He was a pass-first floor general with an elite defensive presence, albeit with a lackluster history as a scorer.

Early in his Mavericks tenure, Rondo is not only looking to score more often, but he’s expanded his game tremendously.

After seven games, Rondo is averaging 15.3 points, 7.4 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. He’s also making 1.1 3-point field goals on 46.6 percent shooting from the field and a mark of 53.3 percent from beyond the arc.

His free throw shooting remains an issue, but Rondo’s jump shooting has improved and his aggressiveness in getting to the basket has followed.

Rondo already has two 20-point games with Dallas after posting just one in 22 outings with Boston.

In his return to TD Garden, Rondo flashed something that he’d rarely shown before: efficiency and dominance as a 3-point shooter. He scored a season-high 29 points and set a career-high with five 3-point field goals.

Should he continue to score in this aggressive manner, Rondo will give Dallas a pair of unstoppable slashers in he and Monta Ellis. Neither are necessarily great shooters, but both can get to the basket.

What’s yet to develop for the Mavericks is the most important thing of all: Rondo is one of the greatest facilitators in NBA history.

All-Time Facilitator

Rajon Rondo led the league in assists per game in both 2012 and 2013. In 2010-11, he dished out 11.2 assists per contest and, in 2013-14, he tallied 9.8 dimes per contest.

When he’s healthy, Rondo is an all-time facilitator.

Rondo joins Jason Kidd, Steve Nash and Chris Paul as the only players to lead the league in assists in consecutive seasons since 2000. According to Basketball-Reference.com, his 11.7 assists per game in 2011-12 were the most since John Stockton in 1994-95.

That’s good company.

Regardless of how you feel about the rest of his game, Rondo is a master of creating looks for his teammates. Not only is he an accurate passer who can lead his teammates to easy baskets, but he uses his ball-handling skills to open up the floor.

For a lack of a better description, Rondo assists his teammates like a hockey player.

The 28-year-old dissects the opposition with his tight handle, often going under the basket without shooting–much like a hockey player who goes behind the net. Once he emerges from the depths of a defense, help defenders collapse and Rondo’s teammates get open for field goals.

Rondo’s recently improved scoring touch makes him that much more dynamic.

With an all-time scorer in Dirk Nowitzki and dynamic players such as Monta Ellis and Chandler Parsons, Rondo has extraordinary weapons. Tyson Chandler complements him defensively and as a pick-and-roll finisher, while Rick Carlisle is a legendary coach.

A motivated Rondo makes Dallas a legitimate championship contender.

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