August 20, 2007
It was tempting to put Rajon Rondo
on the floor last season because of his explosive speed, his penchant
for picking off passes, his court vision, and his seemingly boundless
energy, but during tight games he became an offensive liability. Teams
merely doubled Jefferson and/or Pierce, leaving Rondo alone, daring him
to knock down the 18-footer.
Too often, he didn't.
It
is a rap that has dogged him throughout his career. Jerry West told me
last season that if Rondo had been able to shoot even a little bit, he
would have been a top-three pick. (He was taken at No.21.) In his first
NBA season, Rondo shot 41.8 percent from the floor and was a nonfactor
from behind the 3-point arc (6 for 29, 20.7 percent).
One
day last spring, I was waiting to do a postpractice interview with
Pierce, who was receiving treatment in the training room. There were
only two players left in the gym: Rondo and Doc Rivers's eighth-grade
son, Austin. Rondo, his shirt off, had assistant coach Kevin Eastman
feed him the ball for 100 jumpers. With nobody guarding him, Rondo hit
52 of them. Minutes later, Doc's son duplicated the drill - only he
knocked down 70.
Rondo, 21, is used to the ribbing about his wayward shots. He learned early last season to develop a thick skin.
"It
doesn't bug me at all," Rondo insisted. "I do enough to overlook what I
can't do. I get guys wide-open shots. I think that will work out pretty
well with this team."
Shooting is all about two
things: confidence and repetition. This summer, Rondo said, he has not
allowed himself to quit for the day until he's buried 250-280 jumpers.
He is playing a fair amount of pick-up games in the Bluegrass State with
NBA veterans such as Nazr Mohammad and Scott Padgett, but he will not
drive to the hole. In every situation - not just some situations - he's
pulling up for the perimeter jumper. While this might be a mild
annoyance to his pick-up teammates - who groan when Rondo blows past the
defense, then pulls back for a 15-footer - he understands it is
critical to his development.
"It is kind of funny," Rondo acknowledged. "Whether my team is up 10 or down 10, I'm settling for the jump shot."
The
mechanics of that jump shot were broken down by Eastman, who worked
with Rondo on catching the ball low and bringing it up high, and on
developing "perfect feet," which means establishing a uniform way to set
up for a shot instead of sometimes having the feet close together and
other times farther apart. Eastman has emphasized the need for Rondo to
bring the ball out from behind his head on the release, and to aim for
over the top of the rim, instead of directly at the rim.
"Part
of it is a mental adjustment, too," Eastman explained. "We want Rajon
to have the same confidence he has in his game shot that he has in his
practice shot.
"For instance, if we're on the road and
he goes 0 for 5 in jump shots against Phoenix, we need him to come out
the next night against LA and shoot those same shots. Too often last
season, when he had a bad shooting night, he'd follow that by lowering
his head and driving to the basket. That wasn't the best thing for him
or us."
Eastman flew to Louisville last week to work
with Rondo and check on his progress. He reported a marked improvement
in Rondo's stroke.
"There's no doubt in my mind he can
be a good shooter," Eastman said, "but it doesn't matter what's in my
mind or Doc's mind or your mind. He's got to believe it himself. He's
got to prove it on the floor, with his performance, his body language,
everything."
With the spotlight squarely upon him,
Rondo's mettle will be tested. To stay on the floor, the kid who prefers
to pass first and shoot later has to be able to keep defenses honest.
In
the whirlwind days since the Celtics underwent their overhaul, Rondo
has not reached out to speak with his friend Jefferson, mostly because
he's at a loss as to what to say.
"I figure I'll let things settle," Rondo explained. "Give it a couple of weeks."
No one has been immune to the uncertainty of the summer of 2007.
When
the Celtics were angling to acquire Allen, Rondo's name surfaced in the
trade talks. As soon as the trigger was pulled on that deal, a new
round of rumors started, this time with Garnett as the centerpiece of
the deal. Again, the Celtics refused to part with their point guard.
Again, Rondo felt relieved but torn, since his friends went in his
place.
Rondo returns to Boston next week to continue
his training. He will study tapes of Allen and Garnett so he can learn
exactly when and where they like to receive the ball. Although Rondo
understands the magnitude of the acquisition of Garnett, he will not be
starry-eyed when the future Hall of Famer shares a court with him for
the first time.
"I never really followed basketball
growing up," said Rondo. "I was too busy playing baseball and football. I
wanted to go to the NFL."
And what position did he play?
"Quarterback," Rondo answered.
Of course.
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