MythBusting “The Rondo Effect”
By Seth Nefsky
2. The New Orleans Pelicans are worse defensively with Rondo on the court.
Remember that Bird Writes tweet I just mentioned? Well, below offensive rating, there was a less celebration worthy statistic also getting higher: defensive rating. Since Rondo’s return, the Pels defensive rating has been the worst in the league, despite being 13th in the league prior to Rondo’s recovery.
With Rondo on the court, the Pels have had a defensive rating 11.5 points per possession worse than with him off of the court. Even since Rondo’s return, the Pelicans have been 9.2 points per possession better with Rondo off of the floor.
So to put it simply, the Pelicans have been much worse with Rondo on the floor.
But is Rondo to blame for the Pels defensive lapses? Short answer: yes.
Rajon Rondo is allowing for his opponents to shoot 6.3% higher on his defense. Furthermore, he is in the 31st percentile for pick and roll defense on ball handlers, and the 37th percentile for defense on spot-up shooters, meaning that he struggles both defending on and off of the ball.
And being that this is Rajon Rondo, his defensive problems seem to be stemming from riskiness or laziness. Defending drives, he often trails, in order to get a steal, giving drivers open lanes.
On help defense, it looks as if Rondo does not even try, only contesting 5.8 shots per 48 minutes, making him one of the worst contesting guards in the league.
And around off-ball screens, Rondo often looks completely lost, looking at where the ball is, and not where his assignment is.
Furthermore, the New Orleans Pelicans two most common lineups are Rajon Rondo/Jrue Holiday/E’Twaun Moore/Anthony Davis/DeMarcus Cousins, or their regular starting lineup since Rondo’s return, and Jrue Holiday/E’Twaun Moore/Dante Cunningham/Anthony Davis/DeMarcus Cousins, or their starting lineup before Rondo’s injury.
And despite these lineups only being different BY ONE PLAYER, the first lineup has posted a defensive rating of 110.8, while the second has posted a 95.2 defensive rating. The burden of a 15.6 point difference cannot be solely placed on Rondo, as the small sample size of the Rondo-less lineup definitely plays a factor, but the fact is, at least the majority of the discrepancy is Rondo’s fault.
Verdict: Myth Confirmed