Why Kobe On Rajon Rondo Doesn’t Make Sense | NBA Playbook

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:

The video above shows what Rondo can do when he gets a defensive rebound, and that is without any cross matching that Kobe on Rondo would create.  Even if Kobe is covering Rondo, that doesn’t mean Rondo is going to be covering Kobe.  So let’s say Kobe takes a shot and Rondo gets a rebound, he is going to push the ball (as seen in the video above), and as he pushes the ball Kobe is going to have to find Rondo.  Maybe more importantly, Fisher is going to have to find Ray Allen in a timely fashion.  If he doesn’t Rondo will find Allen open for a three pointer.

Rondo’s Lack of a Jump Shot

In my opinion the reason Kobe was put on Westbrook defensively was because he was knocking down his jump shot.  Once an athletic guy like Westbrook is making his jump shot he is almost impossible to stop.  You play off of him and he will make the shot.  You close out and he will drive right by you.  The Lakers needed someone longer than Derek Fisher to cover Westbrook because they needed length to bother his shot.  Rondo isn’t a jump shooter and he hasn’t really shown any signs of being able to hit an outside shot consistently during the playoffs.

Fisher Good at Defending Ball Screens Not Away From The Ball

Something that has been said in the comments is that Fisher is good at punishing the screener.  This is true.  This skill is valuable when defending someone coming off of a ball screen.  He runs into the screen hard, wraps himself around the screener (sometimes drawing the foul), and get back due to help of a hedge or switch. When you are defending an off the ball screen, you don’t want to run into the screener like Fisher does because there isn’t a ton of help on those types of screens. You want to stay attached and get around the screen with as little contact as possible.  That is why I am hesitant to have Fisher chasing Allen around screens while having Kobe cover Rondo.

So What Should The Lakers Do?

The Lakers need to once again rely on their size on the defensive end.  As mentioned, Rondo isn’t the best shooting point guard in the world so what the Lakers should do is put Derek Fisher on him and play him back to the foul line.  A lot of people don’t like playing off of Rondo because he can see the floor better, but the Lakers size in the lane makes it harder to find passing lanes than it normally is, so in my opinion that isn’t too big of a deal.  Another worry about playing off of Rondo is that it gives him a running start to attack the basket.  Fisher is very good at using his body on defense, and he has earned the right with officials to be a little touchy-feely on the defensive end.  If Rondo does get by Fisher he then runs into the two Lakers’ 7 footers.

Rondo is going to be able to put up numbers, because he is a very good player.  However, if he has a big game 1 you are going to hear a lot of people saying “Should the Lakers put Kobe on Rondo?”  I think that if they do it, it will only lead to Rajon Rondo playing even better.
02
Jun 2010
POSTED BY Sebastian Pruiti
POSTED IN 2010 Playoffs Boston Celtics Defense LA Lakers
DISCUSSION 16 Comments
TAGS

  • http://www.backseatgmblog.com Ricky

    The cross-matching really hurt Cleveland because Mo Williams being on Ray Allen helped him get going shooting the ball, and Rondo was able to do as much damage against Anthony Parker as he was Williams. So instead of just Rondo killing, Ray Allen played better too

  • Snoopy2006

    Interesting take. However I think one problem with this is the idea of Kobe on Allen. Kobe, by nature, is a roamer defensively. Right now, he sees Rondo as the best Celtic. I think it’s very likely he’ll try to keep one eye on Rondo and will lose sight of Allen very quickly. Kobe on Allen seems like a recipe for disaster, unless Kobe is completely locked in. And because of his nature to try to defend in a KG-like way (and because he believes he’s the best help defender in the league), I think it’ll result in a lot of open shots for Allen.

    And if Kobe does stay locked in? Running around all those stagger screens can be draining. To me, Kobe on Rondo makes more sense. Fisher punishes screens as he runs around them, and his flopping may also draw attention to the illegal screens the C’s bigs set. He’s also a more dogged defender than Kobe, and will stick to Allen as much as possible.

    In the end, I think Phil should try both. If Kobe proves he’s willing to stick to Allen, and it’s not too tiring, then this might be the best scenario, but right now I think too many factors support Kobe on Rondo (besides the notion of ‘locking down’ Rondo).

    Sasha’s play is huge, to me. Physically he can get around screens better than Fish and has the tenacity to stick with Allen (as long as he doesn’t get foul happy). He’ll need to play well on the offensive end to merit big playing time, but if he does, he’s a better matchup for Allen than Shannon Brown.

  • http://rumdood.com Matt R.

    The Lakers, going back to 2008 regular season and Finals are 0-4 with Fisher covering Rondo and 5-2 with Kobe covering him (2-2 in the Finals, 2-0 in 2009, and 1-0 this season since Kobe missed the game the Celtics won).

    Fish on Rondo means Kobe fighting through screens to chase Ray Allen around the 3-point line instead of hovering around the interior to track Rondo.

    Fisher has a knack for chasing people through screens and by having him do so the Lakers avoid tiring out Kobe while he fights through screen after screen to stay with Allen (not to mention Kobe’s tendency to try and play free-safety rather than sticking to a perimeter shooter).

    I think that really the Lakers have to pick their poison. Burn out Kobe guarding Allen while Fish tries to stay in front of a point guard that lives off of penetration, or let Kobe play to prevent penetration and conserve his energy for the offensive end.

  • Sebastian Pruiti

    @Snoopy2006 and @Matt R. – First thanks for the comments. I actually took Fisher’s ability to run off of screens into account, but the thing that hesitated me was that Fisher is really good at punishing the screen when there is a switch or a hedge (which makes him really good at defending the pick and roll). He runs into the screen hard, wraps himself around the screener (sometimes drawing the foul), and get back due to help of a hedge or switch. When you are defending an off the ball screen, you don’t want to run into the screener like Fisher does because there isn’t a ton of help on those types of screens. You want to stay attached and get around the screen with as little contact as possible. Maybe I should have mentioned this in the post, but that is why I don’t think Fisher on Allen works in the Lakers favor. Just my opinion though.

  • Snoopy2006

    Sebastian – That’s a really good point, and it does change how I view the situation. So I guess Fisher will physically have trouble getting around the screens, and Kobe (IMO) will mentally have trouble staying attached to Ray because of his desire to help on Rondo.

    Sasha seems like a good intermediate. He’s actually the Lakers’ best player running off curls, and he’s done a good job following Korver on curls and pindowns in the past. When Phil gives him a specific defensive assignment (Korver, Von Wafer, Dragic), Sasha goes all out. But we all saw (Game 4, 2008) his limitations guarding Allen off the drive. And he’s too “handsy” on defense, picking up ticky tack fouls. It’s a tough call any way you look at it. I guess the best thing to do might just be giving them different looks.

    Thanks for the insight.

  • Sebastian Pruiti

    Yeah, I think the first two games is going to result in Phil giving the Celtics a ton of different looks on the defensive end and then use the one that works best for the rest of the series.

    My biggest fear in putting Kobe on Rondo is the cross matchups. Rondo is great at grabbing rebounds and starting a fast break all by himself. If the Lakers have to get back and Kobe has to cross-match to find Rondo and Fisher (or whoever Rondo is covering) has to find Allen, that is going to lead to a lot of open looks. I think Shannon Brown might be a valuable guy this series, because he might be athletic and long enough to stay on Rondo if Phil wants him to, but I can also see him being a guy who can chase Allen around screens.

    We will see though…looking forward to Thursday.

  • Scott

    It’s ignorance to game plan around “hiding Fisher”. He’s an excellent defensive player, just not against the quickest point guards. He’ll guard Allen, and let’s see how many charges he draws fighting through the Chowd’s illegal screens.

  • rob

    i think aside from the brain fart flagrant by vujacic, sasha has played fairly well. He is undoubtedly the best the LAkers have for chasing around screens and challenging shooters (though prone to foul trouble). I expect to see a healthy dose of sasha in place of shannon brown, who will find himself fairly useless against the celtics

  • Jaffe

    but ultimately thats the celtics advantage, kobe is gonna have to cover someone and its gonna tire him. allen-pierce can take turns guarding kobe

  • http://www.outsidetheclubhouse.com/2010/06/keys-to-the-nba-finals/ Keys to the NBA Finals | Outside the Clubhouse

    [...] But if Kobe is on Rondo, can his teammates take care of the rest of the Celtics? NBA Playbook has doubts about this. [...]

  • http://bballbreakdown.com Coach Nick

    I have to agree with Snoopy here – there is no way Kobe is going to chase Allen around those screens and then have energy in the fourth quarter to make tough shots (which they’ll need). I suspect they’ll mix it up but there is no better defender for Allen than Fisher.
    The thing the Lakers need to be worried about is if you give Rondo enough space to take a jump shot, you’re also giving him room to get going to the basket – and he’s the kind of guy who can get to the basket at will anyway. Let’s face it: Rondo is going to get his, Kobe will get his – Pierce and Allen and Gasol too. So the real key here is ODOM. When he gets 12 rebounds in a game, the Lakers are 24-8 and 6-1 in the playoffs.

  • Aussie Mike

    Scott — Allen has 4 inches on Fisher and needs very little daylight to get his shot off. Even a small amount of slowdown off screens will hamper Fisher’s already-less-than-stellar capacity to get a hand up on Allen. Fisher also plays very physical defense and the last thing the Lakers want is Allen at the line and Fisher in foul trouble.

    In my opinion, matching up on Rondo is as big a problem (if not bigger) for the Lakers as Pierce getting going against Artest is for the Celtics. Definitely, at least in my eyes, the two biggest differences between ’08 and ’10.

  • http://www.dailythunder.com/2010/06/thursday-bolts-mrs-daily-thunder-edition/ Thursday Bolts – Mrs. Daily Thunder Edition | Daily Thunder.com

    [...] More on how Kobe defended Westbrooke: “In my opinion the reason Kobe was put on Westbrook defensively was because he was knocking down his jump shot.  Once an athletic guy like Westbrook is making his jump shot he is almost impossible to stop.  You play off of him and he will make the shot.  You close out and he will drive right by you.” [...]

  • http://couchsideseats.wordpress.com/2010/06/04/guide-to-the-2010-finals-los-angeles-lakers-vs-boston-celtics/ Guide to the 2010 Finals: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics « Couchside Seats

    [...] a smaller, quicker guard which could come at the cost of Bryant’s offense, not to mention there are questions as to how effective Bryant, an All-NBA defender, will be on Rondo. Not to mention Derek [...]

  • http://nbaplaybook.com/2010/06/07/derek-fishers-weak-off-the-ball-defense/ NBA Playbook – A Look At The Playcalling In The NBA Through Videos, Pictures, & Words » Derek Fisher’s Weak Off The Ball Defense

    [...] briefly mentioned this before the series started, but Derek Fisher’s off the ball defense doesn’t work when covering a shooter who can [...]

  • http://hoopspeak.com/2010/11/defending-rajon-rondo-riddle-boston-celtics/ Why There’s No Easy Answer When Defending Rajon Rondo « HoopSpeak.com

    [...] That’s the riddle taunting every opponent charged with corralling Rajon Rondo, the quicksilver quarterback of the Boston Celtics. The prevailing wisdom is to defend him in much the same way that teams defend other speed-merchants like Derrick Rose or Russell Westbrook. Because Rondo is not a proficient outside scorer, most defenders are content to give him yards of space—heels on the free throw line—to prevent penetration. With many players this amounts to “baiting” the offensive player to shoot. This strategy has worked in the past, as Rondo looked uncomfortable shooting even when he was wide open. [...]