Rajon Rondo vs (Prime) Jason Kidd

[htownborn]

The more I watch Rondo the more I see similarities between him and a prime Jason Kidd.

 

Both great passers with great court vision

Both are great on ball defenders

Both can control a game with out scoring

Both have a good all around game and are capable of getting triple doubles with out scoring much

Neither can shoot very well or are able to create their own shot very good (but are able to when needed).

 

So between the 2 their games are pretty similar but only one can be better. So who is it?

 

Better passer/court vision?

Better Defensive player?

Better Rebounder?

Better at scoring/creating own shot?

Better All Around player?

Edited December 6, 2012 by htownborn

[htownborn]

Better passer/court vision? Tie (Their tied IMO when it comes to passing/court vision. Even though Rondo is putting up better numbers this season than Kidd ever has one could argue that Kidd never had the same kind of help with the Phoenix and NJ that Rondo has with Boston)

 

Better Defensive player? Rondo (I have to go Rondo this was close to being a tie for me but Rondo's length and quickness gives him an advantage IMO while Kidd usually just bodies his defenders up)

 

Better Rebounder? Kidd (Kidd's a way better rebounder than Rondo really no argument there)

 

Better at scoring/creating own shot? Kidd (I think Kidd's a better scorer and better at creating his own shot too. He shot's 3's and hit's his free throw's better than Rondo and has a better mid range game as well)

 

Better All Around player? Kidd (As far as all around game goes I have to say Kidd. While there pretty even in passing and defensive Kidd's better than Rondo at pretty much everything else except FG%. So overall i have to go with a prime Jason Kidd)

Edited December 7, 2012 by htownborn

[JYD]

Better passer/court vision? Kidd

Better Defensive player? Kidd

Better Rebounder? Kidd

Better at scoring/creating own shot? Kidd

Better All Around player? Kidd

[Nitro]

Better passer/court vision?- Kidd.

 

This is extremely close, and when it comes strictly to passing and court vision, Rondo might get the slight nod. However, to stretch the question a bit to overall playmaking/running an offense, I give Kidd the nod. In his prime he had a better understanding of tempo, balancing out when to run and gun and when to slow things down, and I think he's better at making the right play even if it doesn't show up as an assist. Rondo tends to force things at times, which results in bad turnovers, and I don't think he is as good at letting the offense run itself (i.e- letting certain players get going offensively in iso-type situations, to get rythm; specifically, I feel too often over the years he's freezed KG out of the offense except spot-up jumpers and open dunks). Kidd just had a slightly better feel for controlling a team like few others ever have.

 

Better Defensive player?- Kidd.

 

Rondo is better at playing passing lanes and at times he's a very pesty man-to-man defender. However, Kidd has always been able to defend up to 3 positions, was a very good man-to-man defender in his prime, and he was also more disciplined when it came to cheating off his man and being precise on rotations. He was just smarter and more versatile on this end, although there are games where Rondo is dominant defensively. It's close.

 

Better Rebounder?- Kidd.

 

In the mid-00's he led the Nets in rebounding multiple years in a row (one or two years he cracked 7RPG, which is just retarded for a PG) and made them an average rebounding team despite having probably the worst rebounding center/big man rotation in the entire league. Rondo is a sensational rebounding, and I'd argue his rebounding is more productive since he can go coast-to-coast so quickly, but Kidd was the better rebounder.

 

Better at scoring/creating own shot?]- Rondo.

 

This one's pretty easy IMO. Rondo is far more explosive than Kidd was off the dribble, and far better at finishing at the rim. As I mentioned in the previous section, he's also more of a threat in the open court, specifically when it comes to scoring there. Kidd was the better shooter, but very streaky, and overall he just wasn't an efficient/highly effective scorer.

 

Better All Around player?

 

Kidd led 2 teams to the Finals, was 1 clutch Rip Hamilton shot away from beating the '04 Pistons, and he brought a Nets team with Carter/RJ/and utter garbage past the 1st round. He is one of the best locker room guys ever, he's extremely versatile for a PG in the sense that he doesn't need to dominate the ball to put his fingerprint on the game in a huge way, and he was just so well-rounded and easily adaptable to any system or gameplan.

 

Rondo still has a lot to prove for me to put him above prime Kidd.

Edited December 7, 2012 by Nitro