On Boogie & Rondo's relationship

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Rajon Rondo Is a Risk Worth Taking

The Pelicans haven’t done a whole lot this summer. Their big splash came in February when they acquired DeMarcus Cousins in a trade for what essentially became Buddy Hield and the draft rights to Justin Jackson, Harry Giles, and Frank Mason III. On draft night, the Pels dealt for the rights to rookie point guard Frank Jackson. They re-signed Jrue Holiday to a five-year, $126 million deal. Most recently, they added Rajon Rondo, who was terrible for about 95 percent of last season before coming back to life for two playoff games.

Rondo obviously comes with risks. He’s a low-effort defender who dominates the ball offensively yet scores inefficiently. Rondo still has some benefits, but his utility has diminished to the point of near obsoletion. Adding Rondo pushes Holiday off the ball; Holiday has shot just 34.3 percent on 198 spot-up 3s since 2014–15, per SportVU. Rondo has shot better off the catch since being traded by the Celtics in 2014 (38.5 percent on 252 attempts), but he still has not earned the respect of defenders. Spacing could be an issue, especially when neither Cousins nor Anthony Davis is a true knockdown shooter, at 33 percent and 29 percent from 3 for their careers, respectively. If Holiday and Rondo play “large chunks of games” together, as sources suggested to ESPN that they will, it means one of them will be forced to defend a larger wing. Holiday is one of the best on-ball guard defenders in the NBA, but doesn’t have the same success against larger players.

But it’s worth considering the pros: Having multiple ball handlers who can attack a defense is always beneficial. Cousins had one of his best statistical seasons while sharing the floor with Rondo in 2014–15, scoring 1.07 points per possession when Rondo was on the floor versus 0.93 points per possession when he was off, per NBA Wowy. Rondo and Cousins developed good chemistry on the floor, and more importantly, perhaps, they became close friends.
Relationships matter, and Rondo’s greatest impact could come in the locker room, on the bus to and from the hotel, on planes during long road trips, and at practices. Chicago’s young players grew fond of Rondo, as he organized team dinners and took on more of a mentor role. Every choice the Pelicans make over the next three years will be made with Davis and Boogie in mind. Davis can opt out of his contract to become an unrestricted free agent in 2020; Cousins will hit unrestricted free agency in 2018.

If the Pelicans make some progress this season and locker room chemistry is good, keeping Rondo around would theoretically increase the probability that Cousins re-signs. If Boogie re-ups long-term, that, again, theoretically, helps the chances that Davis also sticks in New Orleans. The looming threat that Davis walks (or even demands a trade as 2020 approaches) is what makes handing over $126 million to Holiday and adding Rondo worth it. They don’t have many options when they’re depleted of trade assets and cap space. Rondo is declining as a player, but he’s ascending as a leader.

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Holiday's FG% differential suggest he's an elite on ball defender. Im not sure how to quantify "against larger players". He only played 12% of our minutes at the 2, but his defense was better as a SG vs PG. You would think he faced larger players guarding the 2

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And, for what it's worth, 'D-Cuz' is a terrible nickname

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Relationships matter, and Rondo’s greatest impact could come in the locker room, on the bus to and from the hotel, on planes during long road trips, and at practices. Chicago’s young players grew fond of Rondo, as he organized team dinners and took on more of a mentor role.

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