Hopefully Rondo will improve as his career progresses, but that is just one of those things that the Rondo-haters will look at whenever they aren't calling him a top quality pg. As you know, he does so many other things that other pgs don't that more than make up for his overall lack of shooting.

And, while I agree that more made free throws would have helped in last nights game, I think it had more to do with the Celtics taking quick threes and missing them all. It's like they are really good at threes when there is no pressure and they are up by 30, but they clank them when we need them...oh well, we are still 6-1 and the best team in the nba.

Quote from: jambr380 on November 07, 2009, 10:52:01 AM

... but that is just one of those things that the Rondo-haters will look at whenever they aren't calling him a top quality pg.

Why does somebody need to be a "Rondo hater" to note a glaring deficiency in his game?  I'm happy the team re-signed him, but don't you think that it's a major weakness for a penetrating point guard to not be able to hit free throws?  Last season, Rondo was the very worst starting point guard in the league in terms of free throw percentage, and the second worst in terms of jump shooting.  Those are not good things, by any stretch. 

Until Rondo makes shooting a priority -- which means doing more than making three visits to Mark Price -- he's going to be criticized.  He's been distributing the ball nicely and scoring efficiently, and he absolutely deserves credit for that.  However, he could be at another level if he fixed his shooting.

You beat me to it, Roy. People need to understand that this isn't about hero worship. It's about wanting the Celtics' PG to elevate deficient levels of his game - and there's certainly not a lot of indication that he has elevated his historically woeful shooting.

Rondo's got a nice contract. Now earn it. Improve your shooting, which still appears to be at a level that I would deem unsatisfactory.

Quote from: Roy Hobbs on November 07, 2009, 10:50:23 AM

I agree, he needs to get better.  For all the talk of his improved shooting, through seven games Rondo has three free throws (on 6 attempts) and no three pointers (on one attempt).  All of those things need to improve drastically.

  He needs to hit his free throws but we don't need three point shots from Rondo, at least we haven't yet. I thought he might have taken Nash off the dribble more than he did last night but I wasn't wishing that he'd take any threes.

Lack of three point shooting is a weakness in Rondo's game.  The more range and accuracy he adds to his jump shot, the better he'll be as a player.  The lack of three point shooting is just another indicator that Rondo's jump shot isn't where it should be yet.

Obviously, it's possible to be a good shooter without three point range (see KG), but Rondo should at least be able to make wide open shots when left alone.

I know there are tons of things that Rondo does well, but good free throw shooting has to be one of them. I think it's unacceptable for us to give him a pass on this aspect of his game. It pretty much negates one of his biggest strengths (penetrating into the paint).

On a related note, it seems like Rondo isn't penetrating as much as he used to. Maybe it's just me, but I feel he's either choosing not to fly by people or he's not as quick this season. I hope neither is the case.

  He needs to hit his free throws but we don't need three point shots from Rondo, at least we haven't yet. I thought he might have taken Nash off the dribble more than he did last night but I wasn't wishing that he'd take any threes.

Rondo may not need to hit 3's for the Celtics to be a title contender but he does need to hit 3's, make FT's, and generally shoot better if he is going to be a top tier PG.

He was completely outplayed by Nash last night.  Nash put up an MVP calibar game.  He controlled everything.  Pho did shoot lights out too but Nash was the game changer.

Rondo was a game changer too but in the wrong direction.  His lack of shooting is hurting the team.  The opponents sag off him and make it harder for anyone else to get a good shot.  It is hurting the team now and it will hurt the team in the playoffs.  His FT shooting didn't help either.

If that makes me a Rondo hater, so be it although I like Rondo alot.  He is in the big time now ($11M) because he wanted to get paid like a top 5 PG.  The bar is higher and so more scrutiny should be expected.

For me Rondo's free throw shooting is a much bigger problem than his questionable jumpshot. I'm surprised I didn't hear the coaching staff made that a priority to work on this summer.

He and Perk need serious work on this. Looking at the roster this season it seems they'll be getting to line much less than before so it's important they don't waste the chances they get. The players attempting the most FTs really need to be shooting a competent %.

Quote from: BballTim on November 07, 2009, 11:15:18 AM

Quote from: Roy Hobbs on November 07, 2009, 10:50:23 AM

I agree, he needs to get better.  For all the talk of his improved shooting, through seven games Rondo has three free throws (on 6 attempts) and no three pointers (on one attempt).  All of those things need to improve drastically.

  He needs to hit his free throws but we don't need three point shots from Rondo, at least we haven't yet. I thought he might have taken Nash off the dribble more than he did last night but I wasn't wishing that he'd take any threes.

Lack of three point shooting is a weakness in Rondo's game.  The more range and accuracy he adds to his jump shot, the better he'll be as a player.  The lack of three point shooting is just another indicator that Rondo's jump shot isn't where it should be yet.

Obviously, it's possible to be a good shooter without three point range (see KG), but Rondo should at least be able to make wide open shots when left alone.

  There are plenty of point guards in the league that don't shoot threes any better than Rondo. Outside shooting is a weakness of his but it's also overblown on this board. You could say that shooting threes is a big weakness in Perk's game. But since the team doesn't need him to shoot threes it's not an issue. The team doesn't need Rondo to shoot more threes than he does.