It is rare, however, to find players who can be both a large plus or negative on the same end of the floor. Sure, Russell Westbrook, Derrick Rose and Kobe Bryant can be ball hogs at times, but no one would argue that a team would be better off on offense without them. Exceptions, however, can be found. Exhibit A: Josh Smith. Exhibit B: Rajon Rondo.
For years everyone has been waiting for Josh Smith to "get it." This is his seventh season in the NBA. It's getting close to the point where Hawks fans need to just say, "it is what it is."
Good Josh Smith is always on the attack. When he gets the ball, he's looking to get to the rim. If the defensive rotates, he uses his impressive passing skills and floor vision to find the open man. It was this Josh Smith that took over in the fourth quarter of Game 4 against the Bulls, and finished the game with 23, 16 and 8.
Bad Josh Smith, however, could be seen during the first three quarters of that game. Teams leave him open on the perimeter, hoping he will launch ill advised jumpers, and he obliges. During the season, almost half of Smith's shots were mid range jumpers or above the break three pointers. He connected on 39% (143 for 371) of the mid-range shots and 29% of the threes (30 for 104). Clearly, these are low efficiency shots, but he continues to take them--even with his coach, teammates and the Atlanta crowd so clearly urging him to do otherwise.
In the playoffs, Smith has been smarter with his shots, which is a large part of why Atlanta has exceeded expectations. Less than 40% of his field goal attempts have been mid-range jumpers or above the break threes. His success percentage on these attempts have, however, also dropped: he's made 16% from mid-range (7 for 44) and 20% from three (3 for 15). But the more important thing is that he's more often taking it to the rim. Still, the Bad Josh Smith is always lying in wait, and may come out at the worst possible time.
Rajon Rondo's weaknesses on offense are less about decision making, and more about being an incomplete player. When Rondo is out in transition or attacking a defender like Tony Douglas, there are few point guards more valuable. The opponents are made to pick their poison: allow Rondo a shot at the rim, or rotate and give Paul Pierce, Ray Allen or Kevin Garnett a wide open jumper. During the early parts of the season, when the Celtics offense was humming along though reliant on mid-range shots, its success was due to this dynamic.
When the Celtics get bogged down in the half court, however, Rondo becomes a huge liability due to his inability to consistently knock down a jumper. His defender, like Kobe Bryant in last year's Finals, plays free safety, doubling other Celtics and filling up passing lanes. The Celtics are left playing four on five, a scary prospect for a team with few players that can create their own shot. When Rondo does shoot a jumper, he's usually wide open, and yet still only connects at 41% from mid-range and 24% from behind the three point line. At times, he is able to sneak along the baseline and receive a pass for a layup, but those occasions can sometimes be few and far in between.
Perhaps most frustrating is that Rondo shows little inclination to improve this part of his game. Unlike Rose and Westbook (or LeBron early in his career), Rondo's jumper continues to connect at the same rate year after year. Similarly, his free throw percentage is still unacceptable. As with Josh Smith, it's getting closer to a time when fans will have to simply say with Rondo that "it is what it is." Until and unless that improvement does come, Rondo cannot be counted amongst the elite point guards in the NBA.
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