Sacramento Kings: 2015-16 Season Outlook

Three Key Storylines (cont.)

2. What Does Rondo Have Left?

No offense to Darren Collison, who had a decent statistical season last year at the helm of Sacramento’s offense, but the Kings needed an upgrade at point guard. As one of the best facilitators in the game, Rajon Rondo has a chance of being that upgrade, especially in an up-tempo offense where he has scorers around him to distribute to.

But if everything worked out as well in real life as it looks on paper, then the 2012-13 Los Angeles Lakers would’ve won a championship and gone down as one of the greatest teams of all time. Coming off a season in which the Dallas Mavericks faked an injury to avoid explaining his benching, it’s worth wondering what a 29-year-old Rondo has left in the tank.

Simply put, Rondo has not been the same since tearing his ACL in early 2013. Between injury problems, being a step slower, his horrendous free throw shooting, his lack of a jump shot and his testy attitude, Rondo’s decline has been sudden and hard to ignore. Did he just need a change of scenery? Or should we be concerned that he couldn’t thrive on what was the league’s highest scoring offense before he joined the team?

Rondo will get Boogie, Rudy Gay and Ben McLemore good looks, but how effective can he be with defenses treating him like Tony Allen and leaving him open, daring him to shoot? Will a player who’s known for clashing with coaches be a problem in an already uncomfortable situation?

And even if Rondo does thrive in Sacramento, he’s an unrestricted free agent next summer. Other than a seemingly impossible playoff berth, what’s to stop him from skipping town next summer if he has a good season in SacTown and boosts his market value?

Next: Storyline: What Does The Frontcourt Look Like?