Rondo is Overrated

[KungPoweChicken]

Steals mean very little when evaluating a player's defense.

  I'm guessing that opponent's eFG%, rebounds, assists and turnovers also mean very little?

Is it better to get a couple steals a game, or to keep your man in front of you, make him work, and contest every shot? I guess not--because there's no stat for that kind of defense.

[BballTim]

Steals mean very little when evaluating a player's defense.

  I'm guessing that opponent's eFG%, rebounds, assists and turnovers also mean very little?

Is it better to get a couple steals a game, or to keep your man in front of you, make him work, and contest every shot? I guess not--because there's no stat for that kind of defense.

  It's too bad there isn't a stat for that, people might finally realize that other guards have trouble keeping their man in front of them, and that other guards have trouble staying with their man after they get hit with a pick, and that no guard contests every shot.

[Change]

Rondo is just an average point guard. His game looks a lot better than it is because he is playing with three hall of famers (just like Perk was). Rondo gets a lot of love for a few reasons: People like his name--Rondo! He has the ability to make flashy passes. He is a good looking guy.

The idea that Rondo is a top point guard is really just a media created myth. In no specific order, Rose, Williams, Paul, Wall, and Westbrook are all of the younger guys who are clearly better than Rondo. Of the older guys, you could argue that Parker, Nash, and Kidd are still presently better than Rondo.

Rondo is more comparable to the level of Brandon Jennings or Stephen Curry. He is no where near the level of Rose, Williams, Paul, Wall, or Westbrook. He just isn't.


Rondo plays no defense! Seriously. He gets two and a half steals a game, but he lets his man blow by him 95% of the time.

Rondo is a bad floor general. He holds onto the ball for way too long, this has been worse recently but it has been an ongoing trend all season, and passes it with clear intent to "pile up the assists."

Rondo turns down layups to get assists--do I even need to elaborate on this?

Rondo doesn't attack the basket because he cannot make free throws.


Rondo doesn't play hard for the full game. I can't remember a "star" player to take off as many plays as Rondo seems to. Pierce said in an interview, at the half of an ABC game last year, when they were interviewing The Big 3 about Rondo, "That Rondo has to learn that, to be a star, you have to bring it every night."


Rondo is still an unbelievably flawed player, who has no offensive game to speak of because he's too scared to do the one thing he should be able to (attack the basket).

So in conclusion, yes, Rondo is overrated. There are probably eight point guards in the league clearly better than him. Then there is the next crop that Rondo belongs in.

you summed up perfectly what a lot of us are thinking. TP

[diehard celtic]

Oh please! This is the guy that carried the team to the finals. But now he's had two bad games which every PG does, were suddenly calling him overrated and want him traded! The negativity in this blog is ridiculous! Lets wait until the playoffs to make judgements and trade requests! And it was a regular season game too! Don't comment if you're going to be so negative! 

[18isGREATERthan72]

People have short memories.  Rondo was arguably the BEST player in the playoffs this past season, AND the season before that.

Last nights game seems to be a big reason for this thread...  I was at the game, and people were more upset about KG missing multiple open jumpshots that RONDO set him up for.  The Celtics were barely shooting 40% for the most of the game, and for a good stretch of the game, the Clippers were shooting almost 70%

[GreenEnvy]

All-star? Yes.

Best player on (and/or leader of) this team? No.

[Jon]

I think the real problem is that he doesn't show up sometimes (figuratively, not literally) for games. 

I think that's a product of two things:

1) Playing with the Big Three can be tough.  I think sometimes he does struggle with whether he should take over from a scoring perspective or get them involved.  It's one thing if you're Chris Paul and you pass up an open Marco Belinelli for your own shot.  It's another thing when you pass up an open Ray Allen. 

2) But that doesn't account for his defense suffering some nights.  And I think that has to do with the somewhat mixed message he may get from management.  I could see how some players may have a tough time leaving their hearts on the floor for regular season games when management is publicly stating that they are over-resting players who would be playing if it were a playoff game (i.e. a game that matters). 

[Megatron]

Oh please! This is the guy that carried the team to the finals. But now he's had two bad games which every PG does, were suddenly calling him overrated and want him traded! The negativity in this blog is ridiculous! Lets wait until the playoffs to make judgements and trade requests! And it was a regular season game too! Don't comment if you're going to be so negative! 

Carried us to the finals and then choked and p---ed his pants when facing Gasol/Bynum.

[BballTim]

Oh please! This is the guy that carried the team to the finals. But now he's had two bad games which every PG does, were suddenly calling him overrated and want him traded! The negativity in this blog is ridiculous! Lets wait until the playoffs to make judgements and trade requests! And it was a regular season game too! Don't comment if you're going to be so negative! 

Carried us to the finals and then choked and p---ed his pants when facing Gasol/Bynum.

  The same way that Ray and KG did?

[Change]

Oh please! This is the guy that carried the team to the finals. But now he's had two bad games which every PG does, were suddenly calling him overrated and want him traded! The negativity in this blog is ridiculous! Lets wait until the playoffs to make judgements and trade requests! And it was a regular season game too! Don't comment if you're going to be so negative!

Carried us to the finals and then choked and p---ed his pants when facing Gasol/Bynum.

Rondo was good against Miami, Beast against Cleveland, inconsistent against Orlando, and no show against the LAL.

I hardly call that carrying the Celtics. There wasn't a singular dominant player in the playoffs. They all moments of brilliance and moments to forget

[18isGREATERthan72]

Oh please! This is the guy that carried the team to the finals. But now he's had two bad games which every PG does, were suddenly calling him overrated and want him traded! The negativity in this blog is ridiculous! Lets wait until the playoffs to make judgements and trade requests! And it was a regular season game too! Don't comment if you're going to be so negative! 

Carried us to the finals and then choked and p---ed his pants when facing Gasol/Bynum.

This post is so off base...

Rondo is the sole reason we even had a chance in the dwindling minutes of Game 7.  After Ray bricked a 3, it was Rondo who ran down the offensive rebound, ran to the corner, and nailed a fade away 3.  Hardly "choking."

[Fafnir]

Oh please! This is the guy that carried the team to the finals. But now he's had two bad games which every PG does, were suddenly calling him overrated and want him traded! The negativity in this blog is ridiculous! Lets wait until the playoffs to make judgements and trade requests! And it was a regular season game too! Don't comment if you're going to be so negative!

Carried us to the finals and then choked and p---ed his pants when facing Gasol/Bynum.

Rondo was good against Miami, Beast against Cleveland, inconsistent against Orlando, and no show against the LAL.

I hardly call that carrying the Celtics. There wasn't a singular dominant player in the playoffs. They all moments of brilliance and moments to forget

I don't think he was a no show against LA, but he wasn't the same aggressive energy source that he was earlier in the playoffs.

I was shocked at how many shots he took when I looked at his stats, he attempted to take advantage of how Kobe defended him but he was unable to do so for the majority of the series.

[barefacedmonk]

[BballTim]

Oh please! This is the guy that carried the team to the finals. But now he's had two bad games which every PG does, were suddenly calling him overrated and want him traded! The negativity in this blog is ridiculous! Lets wait until the playoffs to make judgements and trade requests! And it was a regular season game too! Don't comment if you're going to be so negative!

Carried us to the finals and then choked and p---ed his pants when facing Gasol/Bynum.

Rondo was good against Miami, Beast against Cleveland, inconsistent against Orlando, and no show against the LAL.

I hardly call that carrying the Celtics. There wasn't a singular dominant player in the playoffs. They all moments of brilliance and moments to forget

  Averaging 14/6/8 and leading the team in rebounds, assists and steals and coming close to a triple double in game 7 is a no show?

[jimmehx]

I was considering this thread last night and I started thinking why Rondo has been hesitant to make moves in the last games without Perk.

Is it possible that Rondo is worried about the interior being too difficult/dangerous to penetrate now that Perk is gone?

Nenad isn't a particularly fear-inducing guy so I wouldn't be all that secure that he would be willing to muscle under he basket to clear the lane... If I knew I was going to get decked driving then I probably wouldnt drive as often either!