Rajon Rondo: One of the Best 20 Point Guards Ever
What does it take for someone to be an all-time great? Do they have to win championships, do they have to be well liked, do they have to have perfect games with no weaknesses or is it just about being good at basketball? The problem that many people have with Rajon Rondo are the second and third questions. He is not well liked by many people and he really does not like to shoot the ball. What is everyone’s problem with Rajon Rondo? My guess is that there is a feeling that Rajon Rondo only plays hard in the important games, which is where national TV Rondo was born. He also seems to invite criticism with questionable on court decisions like quitting on the Dallas Mavericks or trying to trip Jae Crowder. There are also some that think Rondo only cares about getting assists and does not seem interested in scoring the ball…ever.
Despite some of these issues that some may have, you cannot deny how great of a player Rondo has been in his career. There was a four year stretch where Rondo may have been the best point guard in the league and despite his unlikeability (this is my wingspan), Rajon Rondo is one of the 20 best point guards of all time.
Let’s start with Rondo’s tools. He is listed at 6'1, but according to an amazing Sports Science segment he has the wingspan of someone 6'9 and he has really big hands. You know what they say about people with big hands…they are really good at Connect Four. Rondo’s long arms help him to get into passing lanes and when he was engaged on the defensive end he could be disruptive. His hands and arms also helped him with his control of the ball and Rondo’s ability to fake behind the back passes for easy buckets became his trademark.
Let’s look at Rondo defensively. According to Basketball Reference, he made the NBA All-Defensive Team four times while leading the league in steals in 2009–2010 and finishing in the top 10 in steals in four other seasons. Advanced statistics showed that Rondo’s defensive rating was in the top 10 in the NBA three different times and that he was in the top 10 for Defensive Win Shares four times. When you look at Defensive Win Shares and Defensive Rating, there are not many point guards finishing in the top 10. Although you may be saying that these stats are hollow and mean nothing, Rondo was a good defensive player. See the chart at the link below.
Let’s get to Rondo offensively. Rondo as a point guard is a throwback in a lot of ways. He looked to get his teammates involved and did not really look for his own offense. There were times when he would be more aggressive offensively, but his game was passing to teammates. For seven of his eleven seasons, Rajon Rondo has been in the top 10 in assists per game. He has led the league in three of those seasons. He likes to pass the ball. Rondo averaged over 11 assists per game four times in his career. Going back to the beginning of the NBA, that has only been done 41 times and Rondo has four of those seasons. The other names on the list are names like Chris Paul, Steve Nash, Magic Johnson, Kevin Johnson, Isiah Thomas, and Oscar Robertson. Rondo’s scoring averages have never been high and his career high in scoring average was in 2009–10 and 2012–13 with 13.7 points per game. Rondo was also never much of a shooter with a career field goal percentage of 46%, with a 30% mark on three-pointers.
So, we’ve discussed Rondo as an athlete, as a defender, and as an offensive player, but these things are not the reason that Rondo is in the top 20 guards of all-time. The two reasons are Rondo’s rebounding and his morphing into a superhero in the playoffs. Rondo has always been a good rebounder for a point guard. I can remember that being the first thing that I noticed watching him at Kentucky. He seemed to have a nose for the ball and he had such long arms. Guards being able to rebound is a valuable skill and Rondo has averaged over 5 rebounds a game six times. Among point guards, that does not happen often.
The playoffs are where Rondo has played some of the best basketball as a point guard you will ever see. Rondo’s five year playoff run with the Celtics was amazing. Look at the chart. His first year in the playoffs does not jump off the page at you (though he did help Boston win a championship), but it is his next four years that really show you how he took it up a notch in the playoffs. He increased his scoring average each of his playoff seasons with the Celtics. He had some amazing success including in 2009 as a 23 year old averaging 16.9 points, 9.8 assists, and 9.7 rebounds per game and helping the Celtics get to the 2nd round without Kevin Garnett and almost eliminating the eventual Eastern Conference Champion Orlando Magic in the 2nd round.
Rondo’s best playoff performance came in 2012 when they miraculously made it to the Eastern Conference Finals thanks to the Derrick Rose injury, they avoided the Bulls and had a tough time with the Sixers. Going against the Lebron James Heat team, everyone thought that the Celtics were dead in the water. Rajon Rondo took over the Celtics leading them to an almost upset of the Heat, who eliminated Boston after trailing 3–2. The Heat needed one of the best games of Lebron’s career to avoid losing in Boston. Rondo did it all during that series, he averaged 20 points a game while dishing out 11 assists and grabbing 6.9 rebounds per game.
The following season, Rondo would tear his ACL and miss the majority of games in the 2012–13 and 2013–14 seasons. He was then traded to Dallas and many thought that he was done as a player after that stint ended horribly. He had a great season in Sacramento in 2015–16, but no one really noticed. He is the only player in the history of the NBA to average 11 points, 11 assists, and 6 rebounds per game that did not make an All-Star team. Only three other players in their career have had that season. Their names are Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson, and James Harden. They made the All-Star team, but Rondo did not. If you don’t believe me, watch this.
Rondo continued this resurgence last year during the playoffs when he jumped in the time machine for two games in the playoffs and had Celtics fans scared…really scared. After two games, the Celtics had been outscored by 18 points and Rajon Rondo had abused them to the tune of 11.5 points, 10 assists, 8.5 rebounds, and 3.5 steals per game in the first two games. Unfortunately, Rondo was injured and the Bulls lost four in a row. The Bulls were eliminated and we were left wondering if Rondo had not hurt his thumb, would the Bulls have pulled off the upset. Rondo has had a long career and it appears that it might be winding down for him. He signed in the offseason with the Pelicans and it seems like a bad fit. However, you cannot argue Rajon Rondo’s place in history.
After reading this article, you may dismiss what I am saying and say that I don’t know anything about basketball. Or, you may agree with me. This debate is centered on what being a point guard means to you. If it is just a designation for the shortest player on your team, then you will disagree. In my opinion, being a point guard means taking the responsibility of your team’s offense. It means getting other players involved. I feel there is more value in a guy that gets everyone involved as opposed to a player that shoots the ball 25 times a game. It is easier to win with the guy that gets teammates involved. Rondo passes every test for me. Makes teammates better? check. Played great when it mattered most? check. Played in a unique way that I had never seen? check. He is one of the best 20 point guards of all time.
Statistics courtesy of basketball-reference.com.
