When the LA Clippers traded for Rajon Rondo, it was clear that Playoff Rondo needed to make an appearance for the team come postseason time.
We essentially knew that he wouldn’t be spectacular in the regular season, as he hadn’t been in a long time. The last time he balled in the regular season was when? New Orleans?
He has, however, been a particularly good postseason performer everywhere he’s been, other than Dallas. When we got to the playoffs, we were excited. He welcomed us with a nice first three games of the first round.
Since then, Rajon Rondo embarrassed himself for the LA Clippers in the playoffs.
The frustrating part about all of it is that we saw what Rajon Rondo was capable of for the LA Clippers in those first three games.
Rondo had 11 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, a block, a steal, and made three out of four threes in Game 1. In Game 2, he was two of three from the field and had seven assists. He even was calling out the Mavericks’ plays, as he remembered and could decipher them from when he played in Dallas.
In Game 3, Rondo had eight assists, four rebounds, a steal, and hit one of two threes. We were seeing Playoff Rondo and he wasn’t even starting. After that, however, he looked totally lost on defense.
He actually looked pretty lost all over the court if we’re being honest. He was absolutely non-existent. Ty Lue had to bench him for 6 out of the remaining 16 games we played.
Outside of Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, where he had eight points, seven assists, a steal, and knocked down three of five shots (two out of two threes), he didn’t produce at all. Sure, Lou Williams, who they traded for Rondo, wasn’t special in the playoffs, but he at least could shoot. He shot 45.5% from the field, and 43.3% from three.
We also traded multiple second-round picks and money for Rondo. I don’t understand the move at all. Sure, Rondo had playoff potential, but he’s still getting older, and Williams had great chemistry with our team.
Rondo wasn’t bad in the regular season for us. He dropped 5.8 dimes per game in just 20.4 minutes per game, and shot 48.6% from the field (43.2% from three). Averaging a steal every game and never missing a free throw, I guess I can’t give the trade an F.
I am giving it a D, though. Williams was still a good veteran player who fit so well with this team and franchise as a whole. We shouldn’t have traded him along with some money and two draft picks that we could help retool our roster with.