Rajon Rondo’s Much Needed Sense Of Urgency
By Shawn Glinis
Rajon Rondo recorded his first triple double of the season during Wednesday night’s game against the Toronto Raptors; most likely the first of many since the guy’s practically averaging one. Yes, even on a team that starts Kelly Olynyk. I imagine he could even suit up and average 12 assists with Oklahoma City’s anemic lineup, right now. But Wednesday night’s triple double was a result of Rondo’s much needed shift in focus.
There are a chunk of NBA fans and media personnel that like to rely on their selective memory of Rondo as the guy during the 2012-3 year who was gunning for John Stockton’s single season assist record. The Celtics point guard would routinely go out of his way for an assist, passing up easy layups for difficult assists; a habit that garnered him the label of a stat padder. But Rondo’s knee injury put an end to chasing Stockton’s assist record, and since coming back to a C’s team without a better-than-average scorer, he has curbed this bad habit in order to responsibly fill a team captain role. Now, his numbers are representative of basic playmaking; a veteran trying to facilitate an unproven, yet feisty young team.
“When he has a consistent urgency to drive into the paint, it enables his entire repertoire to work harmoniously.”
That Rondo is putting up incredible assist numbers on such an offensively challenged team is mostly testament to his great court vision. The caveat being that some of the Celtics have started this season aberrantly hot, and have in turn made Rondo’s stats disproportionate to his play. Bradley has steadily improved his jump shot, and the midrange J off the curl looks to be a permanent arrow in his quiver. But I think it’s safe to say he’s not going to be routinely splashing around in the 30-point pool like he did in their Mavs comeback. And we all know the well-told tale of Jeff Green’s Rip Van Winkle impression.
So how can Rondo keep this team competitive when his teammates start to cool down? I’m sure he’s going to retain high assist numbers regardless of the team’s future slumps, but Rondo’s best games have always included an offensive aggression. When he has a consistent urgency to drive into the paint, it enables his entire repertoire to work harmoniously. The most effective version of Rondo looks like the following: he grabs the defensive board, pushes ahead, draws attention in the paint, and dishes to a Bass or Sullinger-type for the layup…or scoops in his own layup. And when he takes a similar approach in the half-court, Rondo can usually draw the attention of a wing defender, leaving an opportunity to drive-and-kick for an open three.
Though he hasn’t had a mediocre game yet this season, I felt Rondo was frustratingly passive in the half-court during the Celtics’ second and third game. During last night’s Raptors matchup, we finally saw some of this offensive urgency. After a successful drive-and-kick to Bradley during the second quarter, CSN broadcaster Tommy Heinsohn exclaimed, “That’s called offensive pressure, what Rondo just did.”
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You’re damn right, Tommy! That particular play jump-started four subsequent possessions just like it that included two Rondo fastbreak layups and concluded with a Toronto timeout. It was exactly what I was waiting for.
Soon after this second quarter push, Rondo was taken out shortly and then came back with a much more passive mentality. Unsurprisingly, the Celtics went on a 4 ½ minute scoring drought. And maybe it’s unfair of me, but I can’t help but put all the blame on Rondo during these dry stints. I know he has to deal with Evan Turner’s comedic on-court stylings, and Kelly Olynyk’s perpetual hesitation and complete lack of confidence, but I think Rondo is spectacular enough to obscure some of the modest makeup of this team.
Thankfully, this is a contract year for Rondo. Though he doesn’t need to convince anyone that he’s a star, it will benefit him to show other teams just how meticulously he can break down a defense on a consistent basis. And let’s be real, it will benefit us Celtics fans as well. If we’re putting in hours of our free time during the team’s rebuilding phase, we’d like to see the team captain play out of his mind while he’s still in the prime of his career.