Rajon Rondo signed with the Atlanta Hawks this summer
The Atlanta Hawks signed veteran point guard Rajon Rondo to a two-year, $15 million contract this offseason. While it wasn’t the splashiest move they made, it was an important one.
With the addition of Rondo and other key free agents like Danilo Gallinari and Bogdan Bogdanovic, the Hawks made it clear that winning is their first priority.
Ultimately, the team will have several goals for this season, and one of them is surely making the playoffs after being absent from postseason play for several years. But individually, how can players make sure they do their part to push the team to success and also achieve high individual marks?
Let’s take a look at three goals for the newly-acquired Rondo that he should consider striving for in 2020-21 with the Hawks.
Atlanta Hawks goals for Rajon Rondo: Bring playoff Rondo to the regular season
“Playoff Rondo” is very, very real.
Rajon Rondo regular season; playoff Box Plus/Minus
- 2016-17: -0.5; 6.6
- 2017-18: -0.3; 1.1
- 2019-20: -1.3; 3.6
Over the last three postseasons, Rondo has appeared in, Rondo has improved his Box Plus/Minus by over 4.0 on average. Considering a +2.0 is usually a mark of a pretty good player, that’s substantial.
A proven veteran, Rondo is on the downside of his career and preparing for a coaching role in the future, but he absolutely turns his abilities up to the max when it matters most.
That was fine for the Lakers last year, who put cruise control on for much of the regular season due to incredible talent that kept them afloat, but it won’t necessarily fly for what the Hawks need this season. They are not a sure-in for the playoffs, even in the Eastern Conference.
Looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2017, Playoff Rondo won’t be of value to Atlanta if they can’t even get to the postseason.
Rondo is thankfully in one of the deepest position groups of the roster, so if he can’t be everything the Hawks need they should still be relatively OK, but if he can improve his regular-season play this year even slightly, it will greatly help the Hawks.
Atlanta Hawks goals for Rajon Rondo: Provide serviceable defense, protect the ball
Rajon Rondo, once a steals champion and consistently positive perimeter defender, has lost a step on that end over the years. After getting named to four all-defensive teams, age and injuries have prevented Rondo from tapping into his once defensive ceiling.
Rondo, after posting a positive defensive box plus/minus in his first several seasons, has posted just one positive season in that statistic over the most recent five years.
Some of that has to do with the context around Rondo. In Sacramento the Kings gave up the most points per game in the league the season Rondo was there, not all of that falls on the backcourt to fix. As mentioned, age and physical limitations play a part, too.
But it’s a pattern that has held true. With age, Rondo’s defense has become more lackadaisical (whether his fault or not), as you might expect from a more senior player.
The Hawks need to be much, much better on the defensive end of the floor. They posted the third-worst defensive rating in the league last year, surrendering 119.7 points per game (worst in the league, the Hawks scored just 111.8 per game). You simply can’t win if your opponent can score at an unyielding pace.
Additions like Kris Dunn and Onyeka Okongwu will help tremendously, but Rondo has a part to play in the team-wide defensive effort category. He doesn’t need to be as good as he once was, but better than he has been lately.
Atlanta Hawks goals for Rajon Rondo: Mentor Trae Young
Perhaps the most important thing for Rajon Rondo to do this year is mentor Trae Young. Rondo is a four-time All-Star, two-time NBA Champion, and a respected point guard throughout the league.
If Rondo offers nothing in terms of on-court ability (he’ll have an impact, trust me), he can still have a major impact on Young’s development as a star.
While Young doesn’t necessarily need help and guidance to reach star status, it can’t hurt. And Rondo, once a starting point guard on a championship team, has the experience and knowledge of how Young can become a winner.
Whether it be on-court advice (Rondo was a four-time all-defense team member), off-court advice, or just being there as a trusted veteran for Young, he can help shape his mentality and approach to taking the league by storm.
After getting plenty of guidance from another respected veteran (and now retiree) in Vince Carter during the first two years of his career, Rondo can provide Young positionally relevant advice to jump-start his career.
Furthermore, Rondo has mentioned his aspirations of being a coach following his playing career, and having a considerable impact on a young star’s formative stages would speak volumes to his potential as a member of a coaching staff. It could even be a light tryout to join Lloyd Pierce’s staff upon retirement.
Don’t get us wrong. Rondo is not just a player-coach. But it’s going to be one of his most important duties with the Hawks this season.