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Boston Celtics Players React To Losing Their Captain, Rajon Rondo

By Stephen Varnum

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Dec 19, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics center Kelly Olynyk (41) reacts after being called for a foul during the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

We all have seen my multiple posts about losing Rajon Rondo, one of my favorite players in the league, but let’s hear from the players themselves…Will they miss him? Who will step up in his absence? Is anyone else on their way out? Let’s take a look:

Kelly Olynyk

Well, it didn’t take Olynyk too much time to go ahead and move on.  In the first Celtics game without Rajon Rondo, KO had 21 points and 8 rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench.  Not bad production from a guy who has been relatively inconsistent this year.  After the game, KO put in his 2 cents about how the Celtics were playing in their first game without Rondo:

“We had our ups and downs,” Olynyk said, “but we were just playing together, moving the ball and everyone contributed. That’s a fun way to play.”

WOW, shots fired? I’m not too sure about that, but KO was right that the ball moved crisp in their first game, but we need to pedal back a bit; after all this game was against the Minnesota Timberwolves and the next game we ended up getting killed by the Miami Heat.

Avery Bradley

We all know these two guys were tight, Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley.  Drake’s, Started From The Bottom, truly applies to a guy like Bradley.  Not hyped enough in his draft class, Avery came to our team loaded with veterans and eventually OUTPLAYED Ray Allen for the starting 2G spot.  How did he do it and why has he been so effective for the Celtics? Well in the words of Rajon Rondo,

"Avery’s one of those guys that can do it on both ends of the floor,” Rondo said. “He’s been great this year, even when guys were out. He stepped up scoring-wise and still checked the best perimeter guard defensively.”"

Rondo is right, the guy is a horse on both ends of the floor. So after the Celtics won 114-98 against the T-Wolves, Bradley was asked about how he felt about the Rondo trade, “I was obviously down” about Rondo’s departure, Bradley said. “He’s like an older brother to me.”

I feel for Bradley, the two guys were close, but I was proud of Bradley’s performance dishing out 7 assists against the Timberwolves to help ease the pain of losing Rondo.

Jeff Green

I have been the exact opposite of a fan when it comes to Jeff Green last year, calling him Mr. Inconsistent and demanding a trade everytime I saw him score less than 18 points.  This year, I’ve seen a different Jeff Green.  I’ve seen a player who has taken a leadership role, consistently being our top offensive weapon night in and night out.  I also attributed a lot of his success this year to some of the play Rondo.  Rondo was able to put him in positions to score this year and it will be interesting to see if Green can maintain his improved play without Rondo.  So, based on all of that, I was intrigued on what he would say when asked about Rondo’s departure:

"“Just like everybody else,” Green said. “Sad to see him go. But it’s a business. Other guys have to step up and we’ve gotta continue to play basketball.” He’s going to a great situation so I wish him the best,” Green said. “It was tough to see him go. He’s one of the reasons why I came back and we’ve formed a brotherhood so it’s tough. But like I said, we have a great team here. We’re moving on. Just try to play basketball. Guys have to step up.”"

It’s good to see Green wish Rondo good luck, and I truly believe Rondo wishes him the same.  The two didn’t always get along, but they bonded this season and were playing some great basketball together.  Checkout a classic Rondo to Jeff Green pass that showed what kind of chemistry they had this year:

Jared Sullinger

Sully has always been a big supporter of Rajon Rondo.  And expected, Sullinger got a little bit emotional when asked about the trade:

“What was my reaction? It’s a business,” Sullinger said. “That’s the first thing I thought about really. It’s a business and you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do. I told (Rondo) from when I found it, I support you 100 percent. I appreciate everything he’s done for me and I’m one hell of a fan.” Sullinger added, “I think you guys (the media) give him a bad rap for the type of player he is. Talking about he’s nasty, he has an attitude problem, he’s pretty much a lot of negative things that I’ve heard through the media. But the guy’s really a genuine guy. He really cares about his teammates and he wants to win. He’s a competitor and the biggest thing is, he’s going to compete to win. Sometimes the way he says things, his facial expressions and his emotions, y’all look at it like he’s a nasty guy. But in reality he’s just a competitor. He’s out there on the court giving it his all for you.”

Those were some heartfelt words from Sully and I’m glad he supports Rondo in his quest for another championship.

Marcus Smart

Smart and company have now been given the keys to the team, and I was definitely interested in what he had to say.  “My initial reaction was surprise,” Smart said. “Rondo’s a great guy, great player. His leadership on and off the court. Holding himself and everybody else accountable for everything. Just really leading the team that he’s been with for his whole career. So I picked up a lot of things as far as leadership roles. Smart added: “We’re a little disappointed. We’re also happy for Rondo at the same time. He’s a guy who played his whole career here and did unbelievable things, phenomenal things for this program. Now he’s starting a new chapter in his life. For us, we lost a veteran on the team who knows what he’s doing, knows what it takes to be a championship-caliber team and player.”

Smart is wise beyond his years and said all the right things.  Now it’s Smart’s time to show what he’s got and why he was selected #6 overall.

It’s good to see everybody support our franchise player headed to a stacked team posied to run for a championship.  Despite me still hating Danny Ainge right now, at least we got something for Rondo instead of him just leaving this offeseason.  I’m excited to see our young team grow and just as excited to see how Rondo fits in Dallas!

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