New York Knicks Should Stay Away From Rajon Rondo

The point guard desperate New York Knicks should avoid the seemingly reborn Rajon Rondo.

Rajon Rondo led the NBA in assists for 2015-16, so naturally there was talk that this was a bounce-back season for the former All-Star. The New York Knicks need a point guard and naturally, they’ve been attached to Rondo. This is why they should stay away.

Rondo was forced into a one-year contract with the Sacramento Kings after his disastrous tenure last season with the Dallas Mavericks.

The 30-year-old was auditioning for the pay day that he was expecting last summer. It’s true that Rondo put up great assist numbers, and shot the ball at a career-high 36.5 percent clip but are the stats meaningful when your team goes 33-49?

Rondo has been noted throughout his career for being a distributor, setting up his teammates to score. So why were Rondo’s Kings better when he was off the floor? Sacramento was minus-3.3 points per 100 possessions with their point guard on the court. Rondo had a net rating of minus-1.3 points per 100 possessions, his fourth straight season with a negative net rating.

He’s not the player he once was, but he continued to carry an All-Star’s work load in Sacramento.

Rondo was second in the league in touches and seventh in time of possession (via NBA Stats). Like most point guards, he handled the ball more than any player on his team despite the relatively low usage rate (21.3).

Those numbers wouldn’t change if Rondo came to New York, in fact they may even become more substantial. Rondo would be counted on as a savior. The solution to the long-held point guard problem. He’s just not that guy anymore.

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Rondo’s scoring abilities are limited outside of five feet from the rim. It sounds harsh but the stats, and the pictures, don’t lie. From less than 5 ft., Rondo was 59 percent but from outside of that his numbers were terrible. He finished above the league average at 61.3 percent in the restricted area, but was just 33.3 percent on jump shots (via NBA Stats).

Rondo struggled on even the easiest of shooting opportunities. On shots greater than 10 ft., he shot just 34.0 percent while the closest defender was within 4-6 ft. (defined by NBA.com as an open shot) and 38.8 percent while the closest defender was within 6+ ft. (wide open).

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With his jumper unsurprisingly not falling, Rondo worked his offensive game in a different way.

He primarily stuck with the triangle taboo pick and roll play this season, handling the ball on 6.2 possessions per game. Rondo executed the play 39.3 percent of the time, significantly more than he went to anything else. He wasn’t efficient with his go to play though, shooting just 46.7 percent, good for just the 42nd percentile in points scored per possession.

Rondo was a liability on defense for Sacramento, with shooters a full two percentage points better than normal throughout the season while the point guard was defending. Opponents shot 61.9 percent while Rondo was defending the rim. The hits keep coming. Rondo was in the 61st percentile of defense against pick and roll ball handlers and the 13th percentile on spot ups.

Next: Top 5 Free Agent Point Guards For The Knicks To Consider

To the casual fan, desperate for the next savior at the point guard position, Rondo may seem like the answer. He’s not. The Knicks need a point guard, but they certainly don’t need Rondo.