Rajon Rondo, stat-sheet stuffing, and the chase for a record

Rajon Rondo continued his double-digit assist streak on Sunday If you are like me and play way too much NBA 2k, you will quickly learn what color commentator Clark Kellogg’s favorite thing to describe Celtics point-guard Rajon Rondois. At least once a game, the announcers will discuss Rajon Rondo and some of his signature stat-lines that he has had throughout his career. Clark Kellogg will get all excited and then refer to Rajon Rondo as a “stat sheet stuffer SUPREME!” like he is some kind of meal that you can find for eighty-nine cents on a late night Taco Bell menu. Stat-sheet stuffing carries with it a negative connotation sometimes, often times associated with chasing stats that are undeserved to increase player value. It’s one of the inherent issues with basketball, something that was highlighted almost four years ago by writer Michael Lewis. The main point of his article was this: basketball is the one sport where statistics are the most selfish and players have the most incen...