That’s how Doc Rivers described Rajon Rondo after his performance against the Bulls last night (full recap coming from Brian or Brendan), according to the Herald.
“We do those (television) interviews in the third quarter, and (the reporter) said that he only took two shots, and I said, ‘Yeah, but he’s the most dominant player on the floor right now.’ I thought he controlled the game with his speed. He took only two shots tonight, and someone will read the stats and say, he only had two points, and if you didn’t see the game you wouldn’t know the impact he had on our team tonight.”
My favorite part of that quote: “Controlled the game.” The season is only three games old, and Rondo has not shown demonstrable improvement in the one thing we all have been screaming for him to demonstrably improve: his jump shot. But he nonetheless looks like a different player. His assist-to-turnover ratio so far this season is 37:5, or more than SEVEN assists per turnover. That is just ridiculous, and it obviously won’t stay at that level (Jose Calderon led the league last year in assist/TO ratio at 4.24).
But Rondo looks more…authoritative with the basketball. Calm and controlled, as if he understands Options 1-5 on every play for both the offense and the defense. He has been Boston’s best player so far this season despite averaging just 6.7 points per game.
But it’s not just the sheer number of assists and the lack of turnovers. It’s Rondo’s ability to find his teammates in prime position to score. Here are some numbers from last night’s Bulls game you won’t see anywhere else, courtesy of ESPN Stats and Information:
Rose Rondo
Teammate FGAs directly off pass 2-5 (40%) 16-21 (76%)
3-point FGAs directly off pass 1-2 (50%) 4-5 (80%)
Teammate points created 5 36
So, to clarify: Rondo’s teammates took 21 shots directly off of Rondo passes—Rondo would have been credited with 21 assists had they made them all. Rose, in 24 minutes of playing time, created a whopping 5 shots for his teammates. Once again: Rajon created 21 shots in 30 minutes for his teammates; Rose created 5 in 24.
You take Derrick, I’ll take Rajon. More after the jump. » More: “The Most Dominant Player on the Floor”
Loading ...
Notes from a Lopsided Bull Fight
October 31st, 2009God, the Celtics are going to kill from the three-point line this year. Check out this play with about 7:20 to go in the 2nd:
Ray Allen dribbles behind the three-point line on the right wing guarded by John Salmons. Sheed, guarded by Ty-Ty Thomas, jogs across the foul line and sets a screen to Ray’s left. Eddie House, meanwhile, is stationed behind the three-point line on the left side of the court—opposite from the Ray/Sheed action. Rose is guarding House, though “guarding” is generous; Derrick is standing at the foul line, and his head is turned to watch the Sheed/Allen action.
Ray dribbles left around the Sheed screen and finds that Ty-Ty has jumped out to cut him off. Salmons fights over Sheed’s screen and also has to slide over Thomas—his teammate—to chase Ray. Sheed pops out beyond the three-point line as Thomas scrambles to find him. Allen manages to turn the corner and finds himself presented with a wonderful triple option:
1) Keep dribbling and pull up from the foul line. This would be the best option if a) Ty-Ty manages to find Sheed quickly; and b) Rose decides to stick with House.
2) Pass to Sheed on his right for a three-pointer. This would be the best option only if Thomas has difficulty chasing down Sheed and Salmons and Rose do enough to disrupt an Allen pull-up or House triple;
3) Pass to House for a three on his left. This would be the best option if a) Thomas finds Sheed; and b) Rose helps on Ray and the Bulls fail to account for House.
Think about the situation Chicago is in. They have to scramble to guard one of the greatest shooters in NBA history; a three-point gunner extraordinaire; and one of the best big man perimeter shooters in NBA history. This is what the C’s can do to teams this season.
In any case, Rose slides over to help on Allen, who dishes to House, who nails as easy a three-pointer as he’ll get all season. One nice touch from the play: As it developed, Marquis Daniels moved over from the left wing to the left corner to take his man (Deng) further away from House.
A great, great play. Some additional notes, after the jump. » More: Notes from a Lopsided Bull Fight
3 Comments »
Posted in Commentary, Game Recaps