The big news in the NBA this week is the Mavericks pulled off another major trade. The Mavericks are receiving a four time all-star in return for Brandon Wright, Jae Crowder, and picks. This really helps the Mavericks contend this year in a brutal Western conference. It would be really tough for the Mavericks to make it through the Western Conference Playoffs when every Western Conference playoff team has a truly elite and athletic point guard running the show. Unfortunately, Jameer Nelson was not going to cut it. This shows that Mark Cuban is really in a win-now mode for Dirk. The Mavs realize that they are quickly leaving dirks prime years (we are already out of his elite status).

However, the trade has been polarizing because Rondo is a…polarizing player. He is one of the most unique players in the game. He is an extremely effective creator while a sub par shooter. Much has been made of his intelligence and his all world passing abilities. However, there is also a corner of fans and talking heads that say his best days are behind him. Rondo is only 28 years old, but this is certainly possible. He’s coming off an ACL surgery from 2 years ago. Also of note, he has been playing on incredibly bad Celtics teams. For a player that is a shot creator, his options are a little limited.

Anyway, let’s let the numbers talk. What has Rondo really been up to the last few years.

First of all, if we take a quick look at Rondo’s assists per 36 minutes by season. We can see that consistently his assists have continued to grow. Even with increasingly bad teams.

Looking at his points per 36 minutes by season we don’t see the same growth. His points peak during the height of the big 3 in Boston, which is logical. Rondo is a player who is really looking to set up his teammates. However, with more respectable weapons on the court, Rondo will have more chances at the rim and more open looks. His points have taken a major his this year, but it’s hard to know how much of that is situation from his Celtics teammates.

Let’s pretend to not notice the fact that he is shooting 33% from the free throw line. How is this even possible!
Either way, it will be very exciting to see him in a new uniform with the Mavericks.