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Rajon Rondo took a lot of heat this offseason for the way his brief tenure ended with the Dallas Mavericks last year. After eight-plus seasons with the Boston Celtics, he was moved to Dallas, where he was originally projected to help the Mavericks become a championship contender. Only Rondo’s stubbornness and poor attitude clashed with Rick Carlisle, and the experiment failed miserably — ending with Rondo being dismissed from the team in the middle of the playoffs.
Those characteristics have followed Rondo throughout his career, dating back to his days at the University of Kentucky. He constantly clashed with coaches and was viewed by some as uncoachable. Many wondered how he would fare with the Sacramento Kings and George Karl. So far, so good.
Rondo’s place among the league’s best point guards has always been up for debate. Some felt that during his tenure with the Celtics, he was the beneficiary of playing alongside stars like Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. He was posting incredible assist numbers, but the quality of those assists were heavily debated. One thing that wasn’t debatable was Rondo’s ability to consistently elevate his performance on national television — it felt like Rondo was posting a triple-double in every appearance.
That Rondo has emerged in Sacramento this year. He is playing with something to prove, and through the first 10 games, he has certainly proved something. He’s proved that he’s still among the NBA‘s elite point guards. Through 10 games, Rondo is averaging 13.1 PPG, 9.1 APG and 7.1 RPG, a stat line that — minus some points — is Russell Westbrook-like. Rondo is filling the box score every night. He’s posted three triple-doubles — all of which have come in the last four games. He’s recorded at least one steal in each game, and he’s recorded 15 steals in his last five games alone.
One thing Rondo isn’t doing — and has never really done — is knocking down shots consistently. He doesn’t have the reliable jumper that some of the best point guards in the league have. Around the basket he’s deadly, but Rondo’s jumper has been a major question mark throughout his entire career. He’s certainly capable of hitting them, but it doesn’t happen consistently. That’s the case again this year as Rondo is shooting just 29 percent on shots 10 feet from the basket or greater. His free-throw percentage is poor too, but there’s more to a great point guard than the ability to score. Jason Kidd was never an elite scorer, but he’s one of the best point guards to ever play.
Rondo is shining in Sacramento right now. He’s facilitating the offense, he’s rebounding, he’s controlling the tempo, he’s using his length on defense, and he’s scoring as well, just not at an efficient rate. Simply put, he’s doing everything a team wants their point guard to do, and he’s doing it better than most.
Derek McVay is a Boston Celtics and NBA featured writer for www.RantSports.com. He also contributes to the NFL. Follow him on Twitter @mcvay34, or add him to your network on Google.
