North Station Sports

I guess on a team full of mainstream names, it’s sort of easy to take talent for granted. Stats are often over-looked when they are on a team with such an unselfish (sometimes too unselfish) mentality. If was not until today, while reading an article by Gary Washburn in the Globe, that I realized what Rajon Rondo is doing to the Eastern Conference.

Rondo is not just playing well, he is decimating opponents. A guy who’s outside shot has been overly criticized has made major improvements in that area and is now knocking down seventeen footers consistently. Don’t tell me that he is shooting 53.4 percent from the field on layups alone. Sure, Rondo can beat just about anyone off the dribble and is shooting nearly 61 percent from inside of 20 feet but he is also hitting over 40 percent of his perimeter shots (inside of the three-point line). Over the last ten games, Rondo is shooting nearly 63 percent from outside of 20 feet. Putting these shooting percentages in line with the league’s “best”, Chris Paul shoots 50 percent outside of twenty feet and Derrick Rose, most often compared to Rondo, shoots exactly 44 percent from outside of twenty feet.

Critics will say, “Rose and Paul attempt twice as many shots from outside of 20 feet” and I would agree. However, Rondo’s strength is in penetration and helps the team most when he is breaking down defenses. Rajon has proven that when he needs to, he can bang in the perimeter shot now. Skeptics lay off.

Though we can all pick apart Rondo’s perimeter shooting, deplorable free throw shooting and less than admirable downtown percentage, no one can dispute Rondo’s domination of the Eastern Conference point guards in every other major category.

Let’s look at Rondo’s exploits of Eastern Conference point guards….

14.2 points per game– 5th place

53.4 percent from the field– 1st place

9.7 assists– 1st place

2.54 steals– 1st place

19 double-doubles– 1st place

5.4 rebounds– 2nd place

Recap:

Rajon Rondo leads the Eastern Conference point guards in double-double’s, field goal percentage, assists, steals and is in second place in rebounds and fifth place in scoring.

The debate is over. Rajon Rondo is an All-Star.