Why Kobe On Rajon Rondo Doesn’t Make Sense
Update: Added another factor that I took into consideration and should have addressed initially.
Throughout the Western Conference playoffs, the Lakers have played against three of the better point guards in the NBA. They faced Russell Westbrook in the first round, Deron Williams in the second round, and Steve Nash in the Western Conference Finals. People are going to point to Rajon Rondo and compare him to Russell Westbrook due to the similarities in the two players. This is going to lead a lot of people to say that Kobe Bryant needs to cover Rajon Rondo, however I don’t think this is the answer for the following reasons:
The Rest Of The Team
When Kobe covered Russell Westbrook, the Lakers were able to hide Derek Fisher on the defensive end by putting him on Thabo Sefolosha. The Celtics have a much better supporting cast on the Thunder, so if Kobe is going to play Rondo, here are the rest of the matchups:
- Kobe on Rondo
- Fisher on Allen
- Artest on Pierce
- Gasol on Garnett
- Bynum on Perkins
There isn’t anyway to hide Fisher on the defensive end with the lineup the Celtics throw out there.
Cross Matching
We already talked about Rondo’s rebounding in the past, and how Rondo likes to push the ball after he gets a defensive rebound:
