Modern Boston Celtics great reflects on his career after announcing retirement
Rajon Rondo announced his retirement during an April 1 appearance on the "All the Smoke" podcast with Matt Barnes and reflected on a potential Hall-of-Fame career with the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans, Los Angeles Lakers, Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers, and Cleveland Cavaliers; sharing the mindset that helped him become a modern-great at the point guard position.
"What a time, it was definitely something that I never took for granted when I was in the game," Rondo said (h/t CBS Sports). "I loved every minute of it, and I appreciate the brotherhood that I was able to share and bond and grow with over the years. I've learned so much in this game and it's made me the man who I am today... I tell people all the time, this wasn't a dream of mine, it was a goal. I was able to lock in, stay disciplined, I didn't party a lot in college. But it was worth the sacrifice of me getting to where I wanted to be in life."
In an era where the point guard position became more of a combo guard, with a bigger emphasis on scoring, Rondo was a pure pass-first floor-general who always put his teammates before himself on the offensive side of the floor while serving as a pesky defender who always gave maximum effort.
The game would be better off with more players like Rondo.
Analyst believes Boston Celtics could use Rajon Rondo-type player in 2023-24
You know Rondo left an impact on Boston since his name is still being brought up as someone who can help the Celtics win. Deadspin's Sean Beckwith wrote in February that the Cs would be better off with a Rondo-type on the floor.
'Fans will point to Mazzulla for (extra mental toughness), and it’s a fair criticism," Beckwith wrote. "Boston has the most talented starting five in the league, and when they play as one, are near impossible to beat. It’s just that it doesn’t happen enough when they’re backed into a corner. For a group with scoring options at every position, it’s malpractice that they’re 20th in assists per game.
"When things aren’t going well, guys lose focus and too often revert to spot-up shooters and ball watching. I know Jayson Tatum has a deep bag of offensive moves, but the most difficult forays should be reserved for bail-out situations. As much as I love Holiday, and am enjoying Derrick White’s apex season, there needs to be an adult on the floor who will get after Brown, Tatum and Porzingis when they stagnate. That’s what made Rajon Rondo so valuable for the Paul Pierce-Ray Allen-Kevin Garnett Celtics."
Unfortunately, there are so few Rondo-types that exist in the modern game that the Celtics never did find such an option.
Maybe someday Rondo could transition to a coaching role and ensure that the next generation has players with a similar attitude. What Cs fan would say no to a Rondo reunion in Boston?