One scrap of hope that Hawks fans seem to be holding onto is the backcourt matchups. In particular they feel like Bibby could take advantage of a young Rajon Rondo. Not so fast. Ryen Russillo breaks down the matchup:
Rondo has the physical advantage over Bibby and will be able to get past him on dribble penetration. Bibby at this point of his career cannot stay in front of him defensively. Rondo will have a lot of open looks from 15 feet out and beyond, Rondo has really improved his shot, but it is still not a weapon, so despite the opportunities don’t expect to see Rondo to become a volume shooter. Bibby is a better shooter, but Rondo runs his offense better than Bibby does his. Bibby may bring the ball up but he plays more like a SG guard than a true PG. Bibby will rarely get past his defender, and most of his passes are kick outs to teammates behind him instead of a traditional drive and dish attack. Rondo will have to be disciplined to stay with Bibby and not chase other players in help defense because Bibby will set up outside the three point line and use his quick release on a shot before a defender can recover. Expect to see some isolations run for Rondo to attack Bibby.
Advantage - Push