Ragin' Rondo's Hit-or-Miss Parade
by BillfromBoston on Apr 11, 2007 10:03 AM EDT
in Boston Celtics Articles
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PrintI really liked the illustrations in RedsArmy's attempt to rectify Rondo's shooting woes, it was a novel concept for an article to be sure. There are a couple of things wrong with the analysis that I thought the readers may want to know about (maybe not, who knows)...
First, pronating your wrist is not a bad thing for a shooter. The more you can flatten your wrist the more arc you will get on your shot. Dirk Nowitski is the primary example of this as his wrist is almost completely flat when he shoots. This isn't Rondo's problem as is should really help him to elevate the ball.
Rondo certainly leaves it in his palm too much, but even this doesn't have to be a big concern as long as he funnels the ball up onto his fingertips during the follow-through. Many good shooters don't get the palm separation until they are into the shooting motion with their hand.
The areas where Rondo does do things that are particularly destructive to his shot consistency are:
- Body position (shoulders and hips)
- Arm position
- Release angle
- Shooting motion
The first major flaw is with his body. Rondo turns away from the basket at a funny angle. Some good shooters do this, but it's best to have shoulders square to the basket and hips in alignment. This ensures consistently jumping straight up and down and not drifting on the shot. Turning your body away from the shot also promotes many of the release angle problems that Rondo has with his shot.
In terms of arm position, Rondo shoots away from his body with his elbow flailing out on almost every one of his shots. This causes huge fluctuations in left/right action on the ball. Again, there are good shooters who do this, but it is much more conducive to success to have the elbow tucked and square with shoulders and hips.
Rondo's release angle is his most egregious problem. Rondo shoots from the side of his head with his arm cocked like a catapult against his right ear. This creates a motion of "throwing' the ball instead of shooting it with a predominantly wrist-driven motion.
The way Rondo holds his release causes a ton of forward/backward inconsistency with his shot trajectory. There have been many players who have been good shooters without having Larry Bird's "arm fully extended" motion, but the key is limiting the extra motion and isolating the wrist as the principle generator of the release.
This brings us to the final element inherently flawed with Rondo's release. Rondo fully extends his entire arm from the shoulder all the way up through his release and follow-through on most of his shots. When you combine that with all the rest of the shooting flaws he has, you're talking about a shot that's drifting left/right, forward/back and getting sides spin on a good many of the attempts. This is why he has what has to be considered one of the most fundamentally poor shots from a point guard that I've ever seen. He's closer to Olden Polynice or Bo Outlaw than anyone should be comfortable with.
{styleboxjp width=200px,float=right,color=black,textcolor=white,echo=yes}To his credit, Rondo does work on his shot before every game{/styleboxjp} and the coaches have him eliminating much of the wasted arm motion, so though he still shoots next to his head, he is flicking the ball exclusively with his wrist in these sessions. Think about Shawn Marion, who shoots at chin level but still uses mostly wrist to release the ball. The less the entire arm moves the more consistent the shot will become.
{styleboxjp width=150px,float=left,color=grey,textcolor=black,echo=yes}It is typically best for a shooter to maintain as much of his natural motion as possible in order to keep the shot comfortable and familiar{/styleboxjp}. Based off of the fundamental errors in Rondo's delivery, I'd say it would be best to work on isolating the arm extension problems and continue to have Rondo work on using his excellent wrist pronation to get the arc on his shot. 
Eliminating that "catapult" motion would do more for his shot consistency than anything else while allowing him to continue to shoot from the position he feels most comfortable with, that being releasing from the side of his head with his arm cocked severely.
The process of ironing out Rondo's jump shot is not a simple matter though, as the above illustrates. All Celtics fans would love for Rondo to be the complete package and establish himself as the point guard of the future, but there is a reason that a player with his tremendous skill set fell so far in many scouts eyes.
Rondo has every other tangible and intangible facet to his game that one could ask for from the point guard position, but this element of his game sticks out like a sore thumb and is a principle part of a point guard's responsibility. 29 percent on jumpers isn't "poor" it's a major problem. This isn't easily rectified, but it's on Rondo's radar and he's got the work ethic to get through this problem and become the player everyone would like him to become. But this will be a process, not something that that Celtics fans should consider a matter of due course.
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Great points in how he can improve his shooting, but two things i want to state is 1. Players like reggier miller and vince carter have unorthodox ways of shooting, still were and are very good shooters and 2. Rondo also probably thinks this way too, wants to be original and hopes his shooting will come along
It pains me to see rondo not take the open shots , because once he gets this going imagine if he drives and pulls up for a short jumper on top of his current arsenal(he will be a top 5 pg)
But like you stated it will be a process we should expect and not an overnight miracle
Great analysis of Rondo’s shooting. I like seeing the breakdown of the areas in which he could improve his shot. People always talk about “improving one’s shot” over the summer, in practice, etc. But these are professionals who have been playing since junior high at least… what makes us think that a poor shot can be fixed? Are there examples of other players who have been able to improve their shooting % through hard work (I am not talking about people with screwy shooting mechanics who shoot high % — but people who go from low % shooters to high (or at least average) % shooters).
I think the most interesting question is: can he get by without any type of a traditional “jump” shot whatsoever? If he can master the art of the floater in the lane and drive hard to the basket for layups or contact, does he NEED to be able to hit an 18 footer? I think this is a very realistic scenario to look at with Rondo. His jump shot is almost beyond correction, as you state. I don’t think he can even improve it to Kidd level, due to the mechanical problems in in-game situations. The places where I think he can make the most headway in year 2 are floaters in the paint and at the free throw line. At the free throw line, he can step through a new routinized motion learned over the summer. Nobody’s on him to make him change his body angle or release point at the FT line. He can just step through and let muscle memory take over, there. Teams are going to back off of him and allow him the jumper, but to be honest, he’s so quick that they can’t back off of him all that much or else he’ll get to the rim. This is going to create lanes for the floater and potential drives for contact. I think that if he can even take care of these two areas over the summer, that will be enough for next year, and then start looking hard at raising that 29% on jumpers to maybe 35-38% in year 3.
He could get by without a jumper, but not in Rivers offense or any other offense where Pierce is the focal point. It would have to be a running team, which the Celtics definitely are not.
And Rondo has plenty of other flaws besides his lack of a shot. His passing is erratic and he does not run the half court offense very well. He also gambles defensively on almost every play. It’s exciting to watch, but it also leads to easy baskets for the other team.
If he wants to learn to shoot, he should just watch West or GG and do what they do. Those two guys have very good shooting form. So does Pierce, who has amazing upper body control even when he’s otherwise off balance or falling away.
I’d say if there is anyone Rondo should emulate his shooting it would be Allen Ray or West, since they have similiar statute
But you know what guys no matter how bad Rondo is now, it wasn’t too far off how bad Tony Allen was in his first two years as a celtic(though better than rondo still)
Like i was stating all year long if the celts can hire clifford ray just to make al jefferson that much better , i think the celts could invest in paying some guy 90 thousand dollars to help Rondo shoot at least average. I think this has to be done
There is every reason to believe that Rondo can and will improve his shooting. His free throw shooting percentage at the beginning of the season resembled Shaq’s. He has worked on it and he is now a decent free throw shooter. Admittedly it will be harder to change his in game shot because it is more instinctual, but I really think there is every reason to believe he can and will significantly improve his in game accuracy.
He will NEED a jump shot of some sorts if we want him to be on a tier above a Brevin Knight type of PG. His skills at what he does is great for now and the near future, but teams will obviously learn what he does and what he can’t….He needs the jump-shot if to throw-off tems that have done their homework…This goes for any player
For what it’s worth, I remember a Draft Express article last year in the pre-draft period where the writer visited Rondo at one of those pre-draft finishing-school camps, and said Rondo’s jumper was “under reconstruction.” The construction project apparently stopped for some reason.
If I had the chance to interview him, I’d ask him both waht he had done so far to fix his jumper, and then also what he planned to do in this offseason.
Thanks for the great shooting analysis. I especially like the 4 points you made this will help the beginner to the experienced shooter. If I was learning how to change my shot to be more successful I would practice from a few feet out on all angles and perfect the form. Then move gradually out another few feet and so on until I covered every angle with my shot looking straight on to my back to the basket and catching the ball with and without a defender and shooting. I would envision the ball going in and the correct form too.
Its amazing to think how good a player this kid is at this stage in his career without having had any sort of coaching. First Tubby Smith at UK, and now Doc in the NBA. I feel for ya Rajon!
by ucn33 on Apr 11, 2007 2:10 PM EDT reply actions
Not to be a hater or dissident, but I don’t see whats so special about the analysis.
I could have posted “Rondo takes off balance shots” and spared everyone the time.
Much ado about nothing. Rondo’s shooting is the least of my concerns with this squad.
by Ball Dont Lie on Apr 11, 2007 2:18 PM EDT reply actions
just to add…his problem, as Heinsohn always states, is that he’s thinking too much and consciously aiming his shot.
As anyone who has ever played basketball at medium to high level can tell you, your best shots are when you are “in the zone”, unconscious, not thinking. That and that alone is Rondo’s ‘problem’.
by Ball Dont Lie on Apr 11, 2007 2:20 PM EDT reply actions
I have a hard time believing that it’s “All In His Head.” While I am sure that confidence plays a part in his horrid shooting pct. from outside the paint, I highly doubt that he could go to the best damn sports psychologist this summer and come back next year miraculously cured without having addressed some of the fundamental flaws in his form.
i argue that the ‘flaw in form’ is only evidenced in the result. as others have noticed – look at Marion…he’s wet with his velociraptor jumper.
If rondo begins to hit shots (which he will, I’ve seen him do it after a steal/rebound — in a situation where’s he’s clearly in the zone) no one will complain about the unorthodoxy.
as i said earlier, the “expert analysis” is a little overkill (no disrepect E). If Rondo hit more jumpers no one would say a word.
(he still manages a 41% FGP…not bad IMHO)
by Ball Dont Lie on Apr 11, 2007 3:30 PM EDT reply actions
For those of you that go back a LONG way, one special concern with JoJo White was his “unorthodox” shooting mechanics. In JoJo’s case, despite his unusual style, the ball generally found the target. Thus you don’t fix what ain’t broken. JoJo became an ALL STAR.
In Rondo’s case, the shot is BROKEN and in need of repair. Good teachers, good instructors get their reps because they have helped other players perform better. It’s surprising that although Tiger Woods is rated the #1 golfer in the world he still has a full-time golfing teacher. In fact, the day after winning his first Master’s tournament by a 62 score, he was seen on the driving range working on his game and overheard to say that he struggled with one aspect of his game and needed to take 400 or so shots until he corrected the problem. This after having embarrassed the field with a 62 score.
What’s the point? The point is that there are shooting specialists that can help Rondo improve his shooting touch. But the degree of improvement (ala Tiger Woods) will depend upon what Rondo is satisfied with. If he wants to be counted among the best, his athleticism and determination to succeed can get him there. But to stay on top[ one needs to continually nurture their game! In his case he may ALWAYS need a full-time shooting instructor (ala Tiger Woods).
To declare that Rondo’s mechanics are so bad that he can never improve his shooting lacks common sense and defies logic!
by moskqq on Apr 11, 2007 4:33 PM EDT reply actions
He has to keep his head up, his elbow parallel to his trunk and up in front of his face, not on the side. He has to consistently use the same release point and put proper rotation on the ball. Then he must do it 1,000 times a day, every day, rain or shine, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. For a year.
If Rondo hit more jumpers no one would say a word.
(he still manages a 41% FGP…not bad IMHO)
That is true, if he hit open jumpers no one would say anything, but he has been known on more than one occasion to completely miss the rim. Believe me, I see the same things you see that Rondo brings to the court that are extra special. They are very hard to ignore especially the rebounding and ability to run the offense in the open court. Still, having a passable shot is a must and passing up open shots is not going to cut it. Even if he starts to take those open jumpers with improved confidence it doesn’t mean he’ll hit them any more often and the defense will still sag – this is going to be rough for the halfcourt offense and will hurt Jefferson and (crossyour fingers) Oden’s effectiveness in the post. If you need a more simplified statement I would say that Rondo’s mechanics are not consistent and even if he wants to keep the awkward form he has to have a consistent motion, which he does not, and I can’t see him hitting the open shot with regularity or developing the confidence to do so until he is consistent and can rely on himself to be consistent. His 41% FG is almost entirely from the paint.
While it hasn’t happened yet, I can see this debate boiling down to Pierce vs. Rondo at some point…
2 Great posts Brick! Nice thoughts. Even the criticism was constructive. Agree completely on both. It is too soon to annoint him the franchise point, but he is a player who “has it”. He probably never will be a great shooter but his penetration is so good he really doesn’t need to be. His floaters are very much like Tony Parker’s and has a similar game. Tony does shoot from the outside pretty well though which is why he continues to be able to blow past guys. You have to respect his shot. If he gets that down then we are in good shape for years to come. He does need to push it up the floor more and get them on their heels. Here is where my optimism comes from for next year:
Rondo at the point
Pierce at the 3
Big AL at the 4
Perk/Oden at the 5
West/Durant at the 2
With one of those 2 and some health next season we look good. That is without Wally, GG, or Tony involved. We could make a huge jump!
But you know what guys no matter how bad Rondo is now, it wasn’t too far off how bad Tony Allen was in his first two years as a celtic(though better than rondo still)
Tony Allen wasn’t that bad. And his problem was certainly not form. Plus, I challenge you to find out Allen’s jump-shot field goal , and I am willing to bet a penny that in his worst season it is probably 40, give or take a couple. That’s not stellar, but is definitely not 29%.
As a matter of fact, the worst Celtic I’ve seen in terms of shooting was early Orien Greene. Man, that was some solid bricklaying.
But, seeing that eve Greene improved sufficiently, I don’t see why Rondo wouldn’t. Just lock him in Waltham over the summer with a half-decent skills coach.
As a novice trying to learn the game of golf I was fortunate to secure the services of a “card-carrying” PGA instructor. In my first lesson with him he reviewed my SWING and after showing me the proper form and requesting that I demonstrate it back to him, I was elated that I got it right the first time.
I then asked what he could teach me next. The guy turned BLUE with INDIGNATION and the expletives that followed made me acutely aware that I had crossed some forbidden line.
“So you think this game is so damn simple that you can do it right ONE TIME and you’ve learned something? In golf, untill you’ve done it right 1800 times, and NOT UNTILL you’ve done it right 1800 times can you assume that the "swing” is now yours".
Ditto in basketball, when it comes to shooting and especially following a lesson on shooting mechanics, “until you’ve done it right 1800 times (or by Brick’s standards, thousands of times) can you assume that you’ve got the mechanics right”. Too often a player like Rondo seeks help from an expert on shooting mechanics and after one or two lessons thinks that he knows enough. Supposedly Rondo worked with a shooting instructor AFTER being drafted by the Celtics and there were early reports that his shot was falling.
What we’ve all witnessed this year is that Rondo still has a long way to go before he can assume that he’s learned enough to be a consistent and reliable shooter!
by moskqq on Apr 11, 2007 10:08 PM EDT reply actions
Rondo will be out of the league in 2 years or less. A shot that broken can’t be fixed, and as others have pointed out, he has major deficiencies in other aspects of his game. Even DJ could consistently hit 15-18 foot jump shots, and it was a huge part of his game because it made doubling off him painful. I can’t see Rondo ever being able to do that. The disease his shot has is incurable. I don’t understand the Rondo fetish at all.
Re Greenkite71; You don’t give up so easily on exceptionally gifted but “tainted” players. It’s rare that you have such an outstanding athlete with the instincts and basketball IQ that Rondo has. “Warts” can be removed, we have “plastic surgeons” for that! They’re called coaches!
Virtually all new players coming to the NBA have “warts” and need to mature in their game. As the YOUNGEST Celtic why should Rondo be so harshly judged when he’s just beginning his ascent to stardom? Why the impatience? Another Joe Johnson mistake?
by moskqq on Apr 12, 2007 7:11 AM EDT reply actions
moskqq is right on with the golf/tiger analogy. with all those assistant coaches sitting on the bench, one of them needs to be a shotologist who will sit with rondo all summer analyzing film of the thousands of shots he takes to make sure there are no flaws developing. the golfers have it right. they practice their shots over and over. they get coaching. they get obsessive. if they don’t, they eat less. it’s all on them.let’s learn from them.
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