Rajon Rondo Begins Contract Year with Classic Performance in Win over Nets
BOSTON--Kevin Garnett had heard that Rajon Rondo had been giving reporters an update on his recovery progress from a broken left hand prior to Wednesday’s regular season opener.
First, Rondo said he was 79 percent healthy on Monday. On Tuesday, he upgraded his status to 83 percent.
After watching Rondo post 13 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists in a Boston Celtics 121-105 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, Garnett wasn’t buying Rondo’s modest health evaluations.
“[Tonight was] classic Rondo. I don’t know what he said,” Garnett quipped about his former teammate. “He was 89, 83 percent? That’s a hell of an 82 percent. He played well and he led his team to a win tonight.”
NBA fans had not seen classic Rondo for a while prior to Wednesday night. The point guard returned to the floor following ACL surgery in January 2013, but never truly appeared to be in top form over 33 games last season.
Wednesday night’s opener was a different story. The fact Rondo was even playing in the first place following a procedure to repair a broken bone in his left hand just five weeks ago was a bit of a surprise. The Celtics had estimated his recovery time from the surgery would take 6 to 8 weeks.
Not only was Rondo in the lineup, the point guard set the tone for an aggressive Celtics offense that posted 101 points over three quarters against a disorganized Nets defense. Despite not playing a single minute of preseason action, Rondo fit in seamlessly within a well-balanced Celtics lineup that featured eight players that finished in double figures.
“He’s our leader and he came out and he played amazing,” Avery Bradley said. “It’s like he didn’t miss a beat, almost like he hadn’t been off at all. He played great tonight and he definitely motivates everybody to continue to improve.”
While observers may have been surprised at Rondo’s lack of rust, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens had caught a sneak peak of Rondo at his best as the team prepared for the opener.
“He absolutely destroyed our team on Friday at practice. And I thought it was really great, until I watched the film and thought our team stunk. I thought the last couple days he looked like himself though.
“He kind of looks like what I’d seen on film before I got here; I don’t think he ever looked like that at any time last year, because he was coming back. And that’s just the way it goes with that injury. But he is back to full speed. He had a couple turnovers yesterday in practice when we were going up and down, but he was flying. It’s good to see. It’s really good to see. He made some great plays today.”
Rondo appreciated his coach’s high praise but still knows he has plenty gaps in his game for the time being.
“It’s definitely a compliment,” Rondo said of Stevens’ comments. “But I have a long way to go. I’m going to continue to work and get a lot better. I haven’t played ball in about seven months. The best thing about the NBA is that we have so many games.”
One element of Rondo’s game that was in top form was his play in the pick-and-roll. The veteran point guard picked apart the Nets’ defense repeatedly throughout the first half, setting up big men like Tyler Zeller and Kelly Olynyk for easy looks as their defenders focused their efforts on containing Rondo.
“He kind of stabilized our offense when we went high pick-and-roll with him at different times with him in the game, and that’s also a nice little change of pace,” Stevens said.
Rondo’s excellence Wednesday night went beyond his usual domination of the ball. Stevens’ offense is predicated on plenty of ball movement, and Rondo admitted after the game he is determined to become a more active player off the ball this season, modeling his game after fellow point guard Tony Parker.
“[Parker’s] a guy who usually dominates the ball like myself, but in the Finals he got off the ball a lot and he never stopped moving,” Rondo said. “I just loved the way he moved without the ball. It’s a credit to [Gregg] Popovich as well, and he accepted a role.
“I don’t want to watch a lot of basketball, but seeing him – he’s a great pick-and-roll player, he can dominate the ball, but in the Finals in particular he passed and he cut through, and got the ball in the weak side with a live dribble. He knocked down his corner threes. I have a lot of respect for a guy like Tony Parker.”
More than anything else though, Rondo was just happy to be back out on the floor, playing the game he loves after dealing with multiple injuries over the past 18 months.
“It was fun just being back out there,” Rondo declared. “I missed the game and it’s what I’ve been doing my whole life. It’s great to be back out there playing basketball again.”
With a clean slate of health, an improved supporting cast, and a new contract to play for, classic Rondo might just be making regular appearances at NBA arenas all season long. Stay tuned.
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