| Shh... Rondo Is The Big 'One' In Boston Authored by Andrew Perna - April 28, 2009 - 1:00 pm
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The defending-champion Celtics are about to begin their first-round series with the Bulls, a young team featuring a much-hyped rookie point guard. Derrick Rose is his name, in case you've been living under a rock, and he's far-and-away the best young point man not named Paul in basketball today.
But what about the Rajon Rondo guy?
That's right. The best player on the NBA's last championship team right now is Rondo, a 23-year-old point guard that has been incessantly knocked for what he can't do rather than all the things he can.
Forget about Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. There is no question that Rondo is the straw that stirs Boston's drink right now. You'd hear more about his triple-double averages too, it's just that the Red Sox have won eleven straight games, Allen has hit a few well-timed shots and Garnett is wearing suits and diamond studs the size of gumballs in each ear.
Without Rondo, the Celtics are probably down 3-1 in their first-round series against the inexperienced Bulls; or dare I say worse.
He has averaged 43.3 minutes through the first four games of the series, posting 23.3 points, 10.8 rebounds, 10.0 assists and 3.5 steals on 50.0% shooting.
This is the kid that can't shoot, is a tad small and is only posting above-average numbers because of the company he keeps in green.
He's also the kid that doesn't care what his critics say, simply allowing his dominating play to do the talking. So much so, that there isn't a quote from out there from Rondo that would further any argument claiming he's among the league's best point guards, or even that he's underrated.
Rondo isn't of Jason Kidd's caliber (yet), but he alters games in a similar fashion.
During the regular season he averaged 11.9 points on just 9.5 shots per game. He drilled 50.5% of his field goal attempts, refusing to force his own offense even with Garnett out for a considerable about of time. He's content to get his points on fast breaks, where he's tough to beat thanks to his top-notch speed, or wide-open jumpers when defenses dare him to beat them.
Just two years ago he shot 41.8% from the field as a rookie, and 20.7% from the three-point line. He has worked on his shot, and can now drill a long-range bomb when he has a few seconds to set and focus on his shot.
Last spring, Rondo averaged 10.2 points, 6.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.73 steals on 40.7% shooting during Boston’s title run.
Not as much was needed from Rondo then, with Pierce playing some of the best basketball of his career and Garnett healthy. This postseason, only one player has been more productive than him in the entire NBA -- LeBron James.
But he's the only player averaging a triple-double through the first week-plus of the playoffs.
Rose has played amazingly in his first-ever playoff series, something that can't be discounted, but Rondo has been far better.
Rose's numbers are as follows: 19.5 points, 7.3 assists and 6.0 rebounds on 51.0% shooting. The true difference between Rose and Rondo this postseason, however, has been their turnover numbers.
Rondo has committed seven turnovers, while Rose has tallied 21 through the first four games of the series.
That's not to knock Rose's play, but to rather point out how tremendously Rondo has performed for the defending-champions. His triple-double in Sunday's double-overtime loss made him the first Celtic since Larry Bird to record two stat-stuffers in the same playoff series.
If Boston is going to dispose of Chicago and advance to the second round, it will be largely because of Rondo's excellence against a point guard that has received more attention.
Personally, any doubts I had about Rondo's credentials vanished in early December.
I had been of the belief that Rondo was a good point guard, but was a product of a good system and that he benefited from playing alongside the 'Big Three' of Pierce, Garnett and Allen.
Rondo posted the first triple-double of his career on Dec. 3 in a 114-96 win over the Pacers at TD Banknorth Garden. He had 16 points, 17 assists and 13 rebounds, making it appear as though there were more than one of him running from baseline to baseline.
"It seemed like there were three Rondos out there tonight," Garnett said after that game.
Indiana's T.J. Ford, who was unsuccessful in his attempts to corral Rondo, could do nothing but credit the third-year point guard after what was then the best performance of his career.
"Once he gets into the paint, he's very effective and very dangerous," Ford said. "He's under control ... You've got to give him his credit. He's a hell of a player."
It was from that point forward that I began to consider Rondo as one of the best guards in the game, regardless of the players he shares the court with and the system he runs.
Sure, he'll go through forty minutes of play without having attempted more than eight or nine shots, but he'll still alter the outcome of the game with ghost-like quickness.
An enduring image I have from that December romp over the Pacers was Rondo grabbing a defensive rebound just feet from the basket, penetrating into the paint on the opposite end of the floor, and finding a wide-open Allen for a three in a matter of seconds.
Because of both his quickness and size, he's able to cover a lot of ground before opposing defenses even have a chance to adjust. He can turn any rebound, or steal, into a fast break.
In fact, Rondo's so quick that many haven't even had a chance to step back and enjoy what he's accomplishing right now
If the Celtics are still playing as May draws into June, and Rondo is still stuffing stat sheets like Red Sox fans do to their mouths with Fenway franks, perhaps then he'll be front-page news in the Back Bay.
Andrew Perna is Deputy Editor of RealGM.com and co-host of RealGM's Radio Show. Please feel free to contact him with comments or questions via e-mail: Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com |
