Kentucky basketball is college basketball's historical breeding ground for elite point guards, and Zoom Diallo is the latest Wildcat looking to join that lineage. In his first season at Kentucky, Diallo's style of play suggests one clear path to being the stud that Mark Pope needs him to be. If Diallo can play like Rajon Rondo, he'll put Kentucky in the best possible position to suceed.
This isn't just a "we like this player" scenario. Of course, everyone likes Rondo, and his notoriously high-IQ brand of basketball is one of the most unique to come through Rupp Arena. On the page, Diallo and Rondo share more similarities than may meet the eye.
Diallo, in his most recent season as a Washington Husky, averaged 15.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per contest. His shooting metrics came in at 48.9% from the field and 31.5% from long range. Many worries have been expressed about Diallo's ability to be a great shooter.
He doesn't have to be, at least not on the Rondo trajectory.
Zoom Diallo doesn't have to be a great shooter this season
Let's take a look at Rondo's numbers over his two seasons in Lexington. He put up 9.6 points per contest, adding 4.5 boards and 4.2 assists. Those splits are similar already, but Rondo also shot around the 49% spot from the field (49.3%) and was also inefficient from distance (28.3%).
What allowed Rondo to excel in as a floor general in Lexington was the shooting talent around him. Guard Patrick Sparks shot 38.7% from three-point range in the 2005-06 season; Joe Crawford also averaged a respectable 35% clip that season.
That's where Diallo has the opportunity to succeed, too. He'll get his own buckets closer to the basket, probably even more so than Rondo did. But the scoring talent that Pope has placed around Diallo is what makes this comparison so strong.
Diallo can benefit from Kentucky's shooters, just like Rondo
The obvious target here is Milan Momcilovic, who led the country from beyond the arc last season with his flaming 48.7% rate from range. Alex Wilkins came in just above Diallo, at 32.8%, while Justin McBride (40%), Kam Williams (35.9%), and Jerone Morton (38.7%) all track as reliable options, too.
Basketball has certainly evolved since Rondo ran the floor at Rupp Arena, and he and Diallo aren't one-to-one twins on the court. However, Diallo shares enough shades with that Kentucky and NBA legend to make you wonder just how similar a role he could end up taking on.
It's about embracing your weaknesses in favor of a team built to patch them up. If Diallo can lean into that team-first, physical point guard mindset, à la Rondo, Coach Pope's third-year Cats will be a step ahead at the most important position in the lineup.
Add us as a preferred source on Google