Who’s Better: Rajon Rondo Or Russell Westbrook?
Russell Westbrook (photo. Jeff Forney)
Russell Westbrook
21.9 PPG, 8.2 APG, 4.6 RPG, 1.9 SPG. These are the stats of a man living in the shadow of the NBA’s scoring leader. He has blinding athleticism, superb court vision, the ability to finish near the rim and a solid jump shot. In short, Russell Westbrook is a Derrick Rose waiting in the wings.
But this is a comparison, so let’s do exactly that. On the Celtics, Rondo fills a role. With Pierce and Allen taking care of the scoring, Rondo happily distributes. Westbrook, on the other hand, must and does execute a two-pronged assignment. With no one but Durant able to consistently create his own shot, Westbrook must manage personalities and ensure full team involvement. When the offense needs an infusion of energy and scoring, Westbrook unleashes the full breadth of his offensive arsenal. This is where the difference lies. Rondo’s scoring is limited by his lack of three-point range and mediocre midrange jumper. We’ve all seen it: whoever guards Rondo stands 10 feet away. Despite Rondo’s amazing ability to compensate for such a disadvantage, it is a disadvantage nonetheless. And because of his shooting deficiency, an extra defender can play help defense easier.
Westbrook is not hampered by this limitation. This is not to say that Westbrook’s jumper is outstanding. But the threat that his three pointer poses forces defenders to inhabit his personal space. While Rondo may be a point guard in the purest sense, Westbrook is a complete player. He can be the second-best player (and in a few years, possibly the best) on a championship team. Rondo however, cannot. The Oklahoma City Thunder has a legitimate shot at the NBA title with a top-five NBA player, as well as Westbrook and a bunch of well-defined role players. The Celtics, on the other hand, have three All-Stars, not including Rondo, and similar role players. Yet their shot at the title is essentially the same. Put Rondo on the Thunder and the all-around point guard play disappears along with their title shot. Put Westbrook on the Celtics and they are most likely the favorites in the Eastern Conference. No longer would their point guard avoid the paint in crunch time to escape his free-throw line woes. No longer would their point guard be able to score only in transition or through a wide array of floaters. Instead, he would bring everything that Rondo lacks.
In the NBA, we judge greatness through a player’s ability to take over a game in multiple ways. This is Russell Westbrook.
-DYLAN MURPHY
Who would you rather have?
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May 6th, 2011 at 11:14 am
Nick Mendez says:
No disrespect to Rondo, he is and will continue to be a tremendous play maker, but “There isn’t a thing they can’t do”?
Rondo couldn’t shoot his way out of a paper bag. He’s a laughably bad shooter at times. And once the big three hang it up, he’s going to have to put it up more often.
May 6th, 2011 at 11:17 am
Nick Mendez says:
Whoops, hit enter prematurely. Completely agree with the sentiment at the end of this post. I’d take Westbrook over Rondo any day.
May 6th, 2011 at 11:17 am
darko's doughnuts says:
I would say right now, Westbrook is the better player. Obviously, each players is more suited to his system. The Celtics are loaded with scorers/ shooters so Rondo does what is needed of him by dishing the ball and setting them up for shots.
Westbrook is an explosive scorer, capable of going for 30 each night, which is exactly what his team needs with Durant as the only other legit scorer. Good comparison between 2 great players…
May 6th, 2011 at 11:22 am
hahns says:
the question is not “who is the better pg”, which i feel the rondo article seems to think. it is who the better player is. While even the PG question is up for debate, i think it is clear the westbrook is the better player.
as bill simmons accurately identifies, rondo simply takes too much off the table. if you give any other pg in the nba the airspace on the perimeter that defenders give rondo, you will definitely get a few threes in your face. how many times do you see him pass off an open lay-up- how many times do you see him make an errant pass bc of his unwillingness to shoot.
simply said- rondo lets defenses pack the paint while westbrook keeps defenses honest.
May 6th, 2011 at 11:25 am
b mamba says:
first off, smh @ “the decline of steve nash”….. minimal decline for him which is y he led the league in assists once again
but rondo is better… better passer n decision maker with stronger leadership skillls… hes a better defender but its hard to give him credit playing for the celts…they’re virtually equal rebounders also…its hard to say russ is a better shooter because he takes so many more shots, especially ill advised ones.. go rr
May 6th, 2011 at 11:44 am
the truth says:
Westbrook, hands down
May 6th, 2011 at 11:46 am
Big Island says:
I’d take Westbrook, but Durant would score 40 a game with Rondo. Rondo is limited by an older half court team more than his jumper. Westbrook is going nuts because he had to play the same slow down offense under Howland at UCLA.
May 6th, 2011 at 11:55 am
Ian says:
“With the decline of Steve Nash” what decline?? nash is still better than both.
now on rondo and rw they are both overrated but i rather have rondo.
May 6th, 2011 at 11:55 am
Promoman says:
I’d have to give it to Rondo, although Russell is more athleic. Rondo is a better defender, passer, and decision-maker. When it comes to shooting, they’re about equal. Like b mamba said, Russell scores more because he shoots more. That’s the law of averages at work more than ability.
May 6th, 2011 at 12:00 pm
bookkwormmaster says:
Love my dude Rajon Rondo but his serious lack of a consistent jumper hampers him tremendously in this debate.
The answer is Russell Wetbrook
May 6th, 2011 at 12:07 pm
Sporty-j says:
Westbrook
May 6th, 2011 at 12:19 pm
12thman says:
Hands-down Rondo. We haven’t seen what he can do with ATHLETIC teammates and in a more open system. I think Rondo has a lot more room to evolve than Westbrook and you don’t have to worry about “bad Westrbook” showing up with his 30 shot games either
May 6th, 2011 at 12:43 pm
hahns says:
gota agree w/ everyone above- nash is still a top 5 pg in the league, w/ westbrook taking the 5th spot
May 6th, 2011 at 1:16 pm
Me says:
rondo easily. much smarter player. And no, ANY team with Westbrook as its best player will not be a contender.
May 6th, 2011 at 1:18 pm
King says:
Rondo and westbrook are both equally bad jump shooters. look up the numbers on 82games.
Rondo has the edge in handle, court vision, passing, running a team and taking better shots
Westbrook has the edge in scoring.
who do you want as your PG? im going with Rondo
The end.
May 6th, 2011 at 2:35 pm
K Dizzle says:
“There isn’t a thing they can’t do”
-Shooting’s a pretty big item to not have in your arsenal as an NBA player at ANY position.
“Rondo is the best playmaker”
-Still Steve Nash, followed closely by Chris Paul and Deron Williams…
Westbrook can be reined in….Rondo can’t and won’t shoot in a series where he’s the only clear advantage for the Celts and he’s actually becoming a liability because Bibby’s not even pretending to guard him and Chalmers is running wild helpin out on everybody else…
Westbrook…
May 6th, 2011 at 2:41 pm
johnsacrimoni says:
@Ian
Completely agree. It goes Williams/Paul/Rose in some order, then Nash, then these two. I suppose if I was forced to pick at gunpoint I’d take Rondo. Westbrook is a poor man’s Rose and Rondo is a poor man’s Paul (worse shooter but more explosive).
May 6th, 2011 at 3:09 pm
QQ says:
Westbrook is the biggest enigma in the NBA.
You look at his stats, you look at his game, you see NBA all star.
And he really is.
But then you see the layups that he can’t finish. You see the Dereck Fisher-like pull ups he inexplicably shoots on a 3 on 2. You see the impossible 3 pointers he shoots in the end of games when he has Kevin fucking Durant on his team.
On the end of Game 4 versus Denver, if I was Durant, I would have said:
‘Scottie Pippen would never get the last shot with Michael Jordan on the floor. Not even once. You tried THREE TIMES. Know your fucking place’.
My Pick: RAJON RONDO.
May 6th, 2011 at 3:33 pm
Taj says:
My issue is I agree with all the good things that make Westbrook as good as he is. The thing I can’t stand is the terrible shot selection and dribbling out the shot clock leading to another bad shot or not getting your number one option and best friend into his rhythm. Worst thing about that its almost always at the most in-oppurtune times either when his teams trying to make a run.
Rondo is pretty much has the same aggressiveness at all times and does a phenomenal job of finding who’s on at that time, exploiting a mismatch till the defense can make a stop. Playing exceptional D, and communicating. Alot of times with the Thunder you can see guys with their arms out, not know what Russ is running.
As far as a comparison, Rondo gets my vote for being the better PG, Westbrook the better Athlete.
May 6th, 2011 at 3:37 pm
Shot In Ya Face says:
Westbrook all the way. He has much more potential than Rondo. He’s just learning the PG position as he didn’t get much burn time at UCLA. Westbrook’s jumper is NOT solid by any means and doesn’t look super smooth, but it’s better than Rondo’s. Man, I think my jumper is better and smoother than Rondo’s. Same goes for my free throw shooting. LMAO
May 6th, 2011 at 3:46 pm
what! says:
gotta agree with QQ completely…know your place!!! well said
May 6th, 2011 at 3:52 pm
pipdaddyy says:
A few months ago I would have maybe said Westbrook, but in the playoffs he is proving to be a liability with his decision making, while Rondo is proving to be more clutch than in the regular season … again.
I take Rondo, as he is a much smarter player and better point guard, Westbrook to me is a poor man’s D-Wade … a talented scoring combo guard.
May 6th, 2011 at 4:56 pm
control says:
Westbrook does some frustrating shit with the ball, like not setting up Durant as often as a PG should when he has one of the best offensive scorers in the league on his team, but all around he’s only 22, and he’s struggling with some alphadog mentality shit on the team.
About these fools up there saying Westbrook and Rondo have the same bad shot…wtf? Rondo is probably the worst shooting point guard in HISTORY. You can’t find another point guard who rolls in less than 50% of their FREE THROWS, ever! Rondo is such a huge threat that there are no teams that even guard him unless he is two steps into the paint, and if you knock him down and play him tough when he does go in the paint, he’s like Vince Carter, in that he won’t even look for his shot and he turns into the Invisible Woman. How many games this year did Rondo score under 10pts, just because he was roughed up in the beginning?
Rondo is insane at starting a fast break, very good at penetrating, and a good passer. His shooting liabilities are just so severe that other coaches will GLADLY bet the outcome of the game on his jump shot, and more than often, win. There should be absolutely no player in the nba, at any position, that the other coach will design a defensive play so that they get a wide open jump shot, and be happy with it.
To the idiots saying Steve Nash is declining and is not as good as Rondo, wtf you guys smoking? Nash has more points, assists, and damn near got the 50/40/90 shooting percentages (missing two by .5%) while Rondo’s shooting %s were like 47/20/55. Steve Nash is 100% of phx’s system, Rondo is a role player in his. How is that mean Rondo is a better point guard? That’s crazy fucking talk…and Nash is damn near 50 years old.
Westbrook is clearly the better player, with A LOT more potential. Westbrook is having defenses key in on him, and he’s got one of the best scorers on the league on his team. If Westbrook seen the defenses that Rondo sees, he’d pop off for 50pts in a game, easy, everytime.
May 6th, 2011 at 5:23 pm
Big T says:
Call me old school, but I’d rather have a distributor at point guard, as compared to someone who jacks up perimeter shots and makes poor decisions with the basketball. Westbrook is more gifted athletically and is a better perimeter shooter than Rondo. However, I want a floor general… someone who gets the team involved and in sync, and picks their spots from a scoring perspective.
I’ll take Rondo all day over Westbrook, as he has a higher basketball IQ.
May 6th, 2011 at 7:05 pm
LakeShow84 says:
^^^^
Im with Big T
Rondo is a TRUE PG while Westbrook is more of a combo guard.. and Westbrook doesnt look to pass first..
Id take Rondo because hes proven he can lead a championship team with solid leadership..
And PG’s are all about leadership..
May 6th, 2011 at 10:04 pm
barons_beard says:
I don’t think Rondo is all that of a playmaker, certainly not on the level of a Jason Kidd or Steve Nash. His assist numbers are hugely inflated by the situation he is in – 3 knock down shooters in an expertly drilled offense
May 7th, 2011 at 6:43 am
karim says:
it’s seems that this article try to say something like”all rondo does is pass”.What about his defensive,rebounding,penetrating abilities?Magic said last year that rondo is the best all around PG in the nba…His jumpshoot isn’t that good it’s obvious,but he improved well and his now able to knock down few of them on consistent bases…I’m not talking about the passive rondo ,no i’m hinting as his agressive playoff version…Westrook can take over games?How about rondo averaging a TD in 2009 ?How about rondo’s 29 pts 18 rebounds 13 asts vs cavs last year,(destroying them on the serie)?How about rondo sweeping the knicks ,going for a 30 pt game(very hard with a ugly jumpshoot) or a 15 11 20 TD?
Westrook may have emerged as a serious threat for durant’s supremacy and pg hierarchy…but his still far from rondo…
May 7th, 2011 at 1:11 pm
TruthClarity says:
Billups is my favorite Point guard and has been for the last decade. Thats all that matters. Good Day.
May 8th, 2011 at 2:00 am
Reezy says:
Rondo off heart alone, dislocated elbow and still comes back to play with one arm!
May 8th, 2011 at 4:51 am
chicagodog23 says:
Rondo is a tremendous playmaker, but he’s helped by the defenses that sag so far off of him. Aside from how easy it makes him to guard, he also has more room and time to think, thus makes it easier for him to find teammates. Steve Nash, Deron Williams, and Chris Paul put up similar assist numbers while being guarded tightly by those defending them. They also lack the benefit of playing with KG, Ray, and Pierce. I’d rather have Westbrook than Rondo. However, I’d rather have Rose than ANY of the aforementioned. Rose faces tougher defensive schemes than anyone in the NBA. Lebron has two other all-start to keep defenses honest, Dwight is flanked by three-point shooters, Westbrook has KD and vice versa, and of course, Kobe has Gasol, Bynum, and Odom. As far as help is concerned, D-Rose is ballin’ by himself. This summer people were arguing Rose vs. Westbrook. Now all of these point guards are just fighting for second.
May 8th, 2011 at 11:11 pm
Tide Suck says:
you know who is better than both of them?
Derrick Rose