Shaq shooting a better free throw percentage than Rondo

[BballTim]

  After we make a list of players who shoot a better ft% than Rondo we should make lists about point guards who play better defense or players who average more assists per game than Rondo.



  Ok, both of my lists are done.

As far as defense is concerned, there are other names in the mix. Westbrook and Wall are not too shabby.

  Maybe. According to 82games, opposing point guards (per 48 minutes) average 23/6/11 on 51% efg with 3.6 turnovers vs Westbrook, 19/5/9 on 46% efg with 4 turnovers vs Wall, and 18/4/7.5 on 42% efg with 5 turnovers vs Rondo.

[housecall]

There should be a stat for timeliness of making FT's and jumpshots,etc...in other words some FT%&FG%are a little misleading when you figure out when they are being made&missed the most during the course of a game.Example,what part of the games are Rondo and Shaq missing&making their FT's means a lot more to me than its percentages totality.   

[BballTim]

  After we make a list of players who shoot a better ft% than Rondo we should make lists about point guards who play better defense or players who average more assists per game than Rondo.



  Ok, both of my lists are done.

It's not disrespectful to suggest he work on his free throw percentage.  We all recognize his up-sides, and there is PLENTY of threads on this forum to look toward to show this.  His inability to hit free throws impact the way he plays the game within his offense.  Imagine how unstoppable he would be if he could drive in with more determination toward the hoop at times.  The OP wasn't suggesting his defense was subpar or he needs to pass more, so your response seems out of place.

  He generally drives to the hoop as well and as often as any pg in the league.

If this were true, wouldn't he be leading in free throw attempts (rather than being 33rd among PGs alone)?  He doesn't drive in as often as he should for the amount of athleticism he possesses and for how much possession of the ball he has.  Are you actually satisfied with him shooting 50% from the line or are you just blindly defending him?  I can't imagine working on shooting FT and mid-range shots would significantly deter from his defense or playmaking ability.  Larry could Plenty of players can still pass despite being (a) good shooter(s)

  It is true even though he doesn't get to the line a ton. And, sure, I'd like to see him shoot better from the line, and, no, I'm not just blindly defending him. I'm just pointing out that he's one of the top point guards in the league despite his flaws. Would we be better off if Rondo shot better from the line or from the outside? Obviously. Would we be better off if we replaced Rondo with a pg that shoots better from the line? No. I think there's a decent chance Rondo will improve in those areas, and until then we basically have to live with it IMO.

  If you seem to think my response was out of place, what do you think the point of this thread was? Everyone watches Rondo play. Everyone knows he misses a lot of free throws. Did the OP think he was pointing out something nobody's aware of, or is it a "state the obvious" thread, like a thread stating that KG is tall or PP is from California?

  Sure, there are threads about Rondo's upside. There were also a lot of posts last year about pgs that could run the offense at least as well as Rondo, including such luminaries as Felton, Duhon, Blake, Nate and probably Eddie. There were also a fair amount of posts this summer telling me that I just don't understand how incredibly difficult it is for the big three to score with Rondo on the floor. I was just getting an early start on the eventual path of the thread.

[Celtics4ever]

I think some of it, is he knows his weaknesses and plays within the team role though.  Doc knows he can shoot, he is best in transition in scoring.  One tries to do what one does best and minimize one's weaknesses ideally.

Rondo creates alot of offense on his dishes.   I mean 14 APG per game is huge.  No player is perfect, Bird was slow and Rondo can't shoot well but he brings more than that to the table.  Without him last year no getting past CLE or ORL as I see it. 

Actually for a PG his FG% is outstanding.  Its mainly inflated by layups and the like.  His FT% is way down this year.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=3026

[GranTur]

If he could make free throws he'd be unstoppable because he could drive for contact instead of driving to get it in the hoop.

Right now he only scores when he thinks he won't get fouled.

[jdub1660]

Sorry everyone. The free throw thing is my fault. Been playing 2k11, and haven't missed a free throw yet with Shaq(something like 15/15) but only making about half of them with Rondo. Go figure. Again, I apologize for the jinx. I'll put some extra time in the practice gym with Rondo. 

[guava_wrench]

I think some of it, is he knows his weaknesses and plays within the team role though.  Doc knows he can shoot, he is best in transition in scoring.  One tries to do what one does best and minimize one's weaknesses ideally.

Rondo creates alot of offense on his dishes.   I mean 14 APG per game is huge.  No player is perfect, Bird was slow and Rondo can't shoot well but he brings more than that to the table.  Without him last year no getting past CLE or ORL as I see it. 

Actually for a PG his FG% is outstanding.  Its mainly inflated by layups and the like.  His FT% is way down this year.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=3026

I wish people would stop saying his FG% is inflated by layups when his layups are typically creating his own offense. Carmelo shoots a lower percentage when he forces his offense the way Rondo does.

What should be said instead is that his FG% is inflated because he passes up open jumpers and doesn't take 3's. He refuses to take shots that he can't hit, though we eventually need him to be able to hit those shots. We also should incorporate FTs into any analysis of shooting % since someone who hits their FTs is scoring more on possessions than those who don't hit their FTs.

[BballTim]

Sorry everyone. The free throw thing is my fault. Been playing 2k11, and haven't missed a free throw yet with Shaq(something like 15/15) but only making about half of them with Rondo. Go figure. Again, I apologize for the jinx. I'll put some extra time in the practice gym with Rondo. 

  Don't try any kind of free throw jinxing without first consulting with Tommy Heinson. These things are very delicate and should only be handled by professionals.

[BballTim]

I think some of it, is he knows his weaknesses and plays within the team role though.  Doc knows he can shoot, he is best in transition in scoring.  One tries to do what one does best and minimize one's weaknesses ideally.

Rondo creates alot of offense on his dishes.   I mean 14 APG per game is huge.  No player is perfect, Bird was slow and Rondo can't shoot well but he brings more than that to the table.  Without him last year no getting past CLE or ORL as I see it. 

Actually for a PG his FG% is outstanding.  Its mainly inflated by layups and the like.  His FT% is way down this year.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=3026

I wish people would stop saying his FG% is inflated by layups when his layups are typically creating his own offense. Carmelo shoots a lower percentage when he forces his offense the way Rondo does.

What should be said instead is that his FG% is inflated because he passes up open jumpers and doesn't take 3's. He refuses to take shots that he can't hit, though we eventually need him to be able to hit those shots. We also should incorporate FTs into any analysis of shooting % since someone who hits their FTs is scoring more on possessions than those who don't hit their FTs.

  I'm ok with his passing up many of the open jumpers. If I'm the opposing coach going against PP/KG/RA/Shaq, I'd be thrilled if their point guard taking 20 foot jumpers was a staple of their offense. He can take 10 of them a quarter for all I care. Even if he hits them well (say 47%) I'm in good shape.

  Rondo doesn't take that many fewer outside shots than the average point guard (other than threes).

[Megatron]

Right now, im not worried, when the game is on the line it will be Ray Allen and Pierce going to the line, not Rondo.

[greenpride32]

The elite players in the league who can take it the rim can also all shoot free throws at least a decent clip; Westbrook, Rose, Durant, Kobe, Wade, etc.  That makes them espeically dangerous; you expect 2 points more often than not with a change at 3. 

[Chelm]

Right now, im not worried, when the game is on the line it will be Ray Allen and Pierce going to the line, not Rondo.

How much easier would the game be for Pierce driving in if Rondo's defender didn't get to play 10 feet off of him?

EDIT: This is completely off the original topic.  Sorry.  The free throws annoy me marginally more, though they are probably less impactful of his performance.  If he wasn't an ELITE PG in other respects, he'd be terribly detrimental.

[snively]

He looks so uncomfortable at the free throw line.  Hard to watch.

[Greenbean]

Right now, im not worried, when the game is on the line it will be Ray Allen and Pierce going to the line, not Rondo.

How much easier would the game be for Pierce driving in if Rondo's defender didn't get to play 10 feet off of him?

EDIT: This is completely off the original topic.  Sorry.  The free throws annoy me marginally more, though they are probably less impactful of his performance.  If he wasn't an ELITE PG in other respects, he'd be terribly detrimental.

It has been well documented that Rondo's man sagging off him makes it easier in fact for Rondo to find Pierce in easy places to score. Pierce is once again setting career highs in FG and 3pt percentage. I think it directly correlates to Rondo's play.

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

I think some of it, is he knows his weaknesses and plays within the team role though.  Doc knows he can shoot, he is best in transition in scoring.  One tries to do what one does best and minimize one's weaknesses ideally.

Rondo creates alot of offense on his dishes.   I mean 14 APG per game is huge.  No player is perfect, Bird was slow and Rondo can't shoot well but he brings more than that to the table.  Without him last year no getting past CLE or ORL as I see it. 

Actually for a PG his FG% is outstanding.  Its mainly inflated by layups and the like.  His FT% is way down this year.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=3026

I could read no further after reading your first paragraph... all I could think of, is this Robin Williams in 'Bicentennial Man'?