Rajon Rondo: Legitimate Build Block, Or Just Another Good Point Guard?
Earlier this week, our very own Mark Puelo wrote a piece that dissected Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo’s strong play
Feb 26, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics point guard
Rajon Rondo(9) moves the ball against Atlanta Hawks power forward
Elton Brand(42) and point guard
Jeff Teague(0) in the second half at TD Garden. The Celtics defeated the Halks 115-104. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
inthe month of February. In his post, Mark admits that he is “ugliest Rondo homer around,” but having said that, he does provide a glimpse into Rondo’s monthly statistics to make a convincing argument that the point guard has been playing at a level that is (statistically-speaking) very close to where he was at before he tore his ACL last season.
The question I have is, what, exactly, is that level?
As Boston Celtics fans, we like to think that Rajon Rondo is an elite point guard, the kind of player Boston should seriously consider building around as it prepares for the 2014 NBA Draft and what we hope is a very productive summer in terms of free-agent acquisitions. We watch him make passes that leave us shaking our head, have seen him rise to sixth on the All-Time Celtics assists leaderboard, and have watched him utterly dominate teams such as the Miami Heat in playoff series, all of which makes many of us believe that Rondo is irreplaceable, one of the top five point guards playing in the NBA today.
But we’re Celtics fans. Not everyone agrees with our perception, as I was reminded a few nights ago when I claimed that almost every team in the NBA would kill to have Rondo running their offense:
Taking the second reference to San Antonio out of that second Tweet, you will see that, in this instance, there are supposedly seven NBA teams who would not consider Rondo to be an upgrade over their current point guard. I agreed that Washington, San Antonio, and Golden State would certainly not consider making a play for Rondo based on their current point guard situation, but have some doubts about the other teams listed – but my opinion is not the point. The point is, according to Akbar (who currently writes for Fansided’s Washington Wizards site, Wiz Of Awes), Rajon Rondo is at best the 8th best point guard in the NBA. Not bad, but not exactly elite, either.
So where do you stand, Hardwood Houdini readers? Should we consider Rajon Rondo to be an elite player that the Boston Celtics should try to rebuild around? Or is he just a good point guard in a league filled with some really good point guards right now? Vote, and leave your comments below! Let the debate begin!