New Orleans Pelicans: 5 goals for Rajon Rondo in 2017-18
1. Help lead the Pelicans to the playoffs
Rondo is the type of player who leaves everything on the floor. He is unselfish and fearless in attacking the rim. He has double the amount of playoff games than any of his teammates. Therefore, not only does he know how to get to the playoffs, but also to the promised land.
Small forward E’Twaun Moore only averaged 9.6 points and 2.1 rebounds per game last season. It’s the job of the point guard to make his teammates better. Moore is going to need all the help he can get.
More from Hoops Habit
- The 5 most dominant NBA players who never won a championship
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
On the offensive end, Rondo can help Moore get his shooting percentages up. But on the defensive end, it’s on Moore. He has to be able to crash the glass on both ends of the court. Because there will be times when both Davis and Cousins will be out on the perimeter, and it’s up to Moore to provide interior defense. Those 50-50 balls are important, especially during the playoffs, because they can make or break a postseason.
Thus, Rondo’s job is not only to help the Pelicans reach the playoffs, but make sure they have a deep postseason run. Of course there are giants in the Western Conference, but fans should be reminded about how Rondo helped the 8-seeded Bulls sneak into the playoffs and almost take out the 1-seeded Boston Celtics. A lot can happen during the regular season, so the Pelicans shouldn’t be counted out.
With Rondo running point and Holiday at the 2, the Pelicans will have two floor generals, and one couldn’t ask for better soldiers than Cousins and Davis.
There aren’t two Rondos, because he has already proven that he can play away, just as well as he does at home. The rest of the Pelicans will follow his lead, and their track record on the road should improve.
In addition to having a lot of shooters on their payroll, the Pelicans have a strong defensive lineup with the bigs grabbing boards, which will also increase their scoring.
Next: The 50 greatest NBA players of all time (updated, 2016-17)
Rondo may not have been the hero that the Pelicans thought of initially, but he’s the now the hero that they need. Not saying that Rondo, Davis, Cousins and Holiday will now transform the Pelicans into the Dirty Dozen, but it’s going to be filthy.