Rajon Rondo Is Chicago Bulls' Newest Point Guard - Overview of Strengths and Weaknesses He'll Bring to 2016 Team Roster
Rajon Rondo Signs Two-year Deal with Bulls
Rajon Rondo has agreed to a $28 million, two-year contract with the Chicago Bulls. In an interview with Marc Spears of The Undefeated, Rondo said, "I'm excited. Great organization with pieces around me that I'm excited about."
After trading Derrick Rose to the New York Knicks, the Bulls need a new point guard. The plan for Rondo is for him to mainly pass the ball to Jimmy Butler, the team's primary weapon on offense.
Rondo has played for three teams in just the last two years, the Bulls now being his fourth. Last season with the Sacramento Kings, he averaged 11.9 points and 11.7 assists per game—the best assists average for 2015-16. In fact, there were two games, both times against Charlotte Hornets, when he had 20 assists in a game.
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Rondo will play for sophomore head coach Fred Hoiberg. Hoiberg's team had a 42-40 record. The 2015-16 team didn't make it to the playoffs for the first time since 2007-08, and the hope is that Rondo's play-making skills will get the team back into playoff contention.
Rondo's Strengths as a Bull
Fred Hoiberg employs a 4-out-1-in dribble-pitch system that won't require Rondo to shoot. Rondo is, after all, not the best perimeter shooter, shooting a career average of only 28 percent from beyond the arc. Having said that, he had his best three-point stats last season; making the most attempts in his career and shooting his highest at 36 percent from the three-point line.
Rondo will be playing with better teammates overall than the ones he played with in Sacramento. Experts project that he will probably contribute 15 points and 10 assists per game next season, which are an upgrade over Derrick Rose's stats in the past few seasons.
Rondo is a smart player, probably one of the smartest in the NBA right now. In fact, one can say that he is a basketball genius. He watches a lot of tapes to figure out the tendencies of players and teams in general, and he sees passing angles that no one else sees.
Rondo's Weaknesses
The genius basketball player that he is, Rondo has a history of friction with his coaches. That's probably due to his unpredictable temper. He once nearly had a fist fight with former Celtics coach Doc Rivers, and the coach's "intense dislike" for Rondo is one of the main reasons he left the team.
Questions arise whether Hoiberg, a gentle and amiable coach, can deal with Rondo. The worry is that he might be the kind of coach who is prone to Rondo's manipulation or disrespect.
Rondo was also shaky in defense last season, far from his All-Defensive team days with the Celtics. Jose Calderon of the Bulls made it to the tabloids for his awful defense, yet he had better defensive plus-minus ratings and defensive ratings than Rondo.
