BOSTON — Scoring won’t always be as easy for the Dallas Mavericks as it was Friday, when a career 25-percent shooter from long range nailed five 3-pointers and they out-rebounded their opponent by seven on the offensive glass.
No, Friday’s shooting binge aside, Rajon Rondo won’t shoot the Mavericks back into the No. 1 ranking in the league in offensive efficiency. But with the former Celtics point guard now running things in Dallas, it’s safe to wonder just how good the new-look Mavs can be.
“There’s going to be bumps along the road when you integrate a guy that’s a totally different kind of player, but he’s doing his part to make it as smooth as possible,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said before his team laid a 119-101 beatdown on the Celtics at TD Garden. “Rondo can figure out any puzzle. That’s one thing I’m learning about him. He’s got a great intellectual curiosity about the game of basketball, but more specifically about how to make it work and how to win.
“He’s into getting to know his guys. He’s into chemistry and figuring this thing out as quickly as possible. When you’ve got a guy like that coming into the fold, it helps your situation.”
Just two weeks have passed since Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge traded Rondo and forward Dwight Powell to Dallas for Brandan Wright, Jameer Nelson, Jae Crowder and two draft picks, but already there is evidence this version of Rondo is different from the one the Celtics saw the last two seasons. He is attempting almost five more field goals per game than he did in Boston, and while he’s taking roughly the same number of threes per game, he’s hitting them 50 percent more frequently. The 29-point outburst Friday was the type he rarely contributed for the Celtics since his torn ACL in January 2012.
But Rondo’s taking more shots does not alone make the Mavericks a stronger NBA championship contender. They already were that. In fact, Rondo has been a drain on the Mavericks offensively in this ridiculously small seven-game sample size. They have generated 108.9 points per 100 possessions on the season, but with Rondo on the court they have scored a still-superb 108.2 points per 100 possessions. With or without Rondo, the Mavericks offense was and will be good.
Once Rondo and backcourt mate Monta Ellis figure out how to balance the individual abilities each possesses with the ball in his hands; once he perfects his timing with Chandler Parsons, who works off the ball as well as any swingman; once he, Dirk Nowitzki and Tyson Chandler meld in the pick and roll; the Mavericks could end up being unstoppable on offense.
That could require Rondo accepting a drop in his own time handling the ball. His assists per game are down from 10.8 with Boston to 7.8 with Dallas, because he’s sharing the court with so many more players who can create shots for themselves and teammates.
“It’s not about assists, it’s about winning, and coach Carlisle told me from day one he wanted me to be more aggressive,” Rondo said. “Assists come and go. The main thing is getting W’s.”
The Mavericks’ trouble has come on defense, where Chandler’s return as a rim protector was not able to offset the presence of three shaky defenders in Parsons, Nowitzki and Jameer Nelson, the latter since traded to Boston. But Rondo — who admitted at Friday’s shootaround that he hadn’t played defense “in years” — has reverted to being a ballhawk for Dallas. He picks up opposing point guards at midcourt, eyes passing lanes and has improved the Mavericks’ defensive efficiency a mind-boggling 19.3 points when he’s on the floor.
All of these numbers might sound intimidating, but they are all a reminder of what Rondo is capable of, when he is motivated. In those instances, he raises his game. He dives for loose balls. He breezes his way to triple-doubles. He wins playoff games virtually single-handedly, shaking off a dislocated elbow if necessary.
In Dallas, with a team harboring realistic title hopes, that Rondo appears to be back.
“I just want to win,” Rondo said. “I want to win a championship. I’ve got to get to that feeling again, and we have a great, talented group of guys in Dallas that I think maybe can do it.”
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
