Rajon Rondo's Rebounding Key to What Makes Him Unique
Boston Celtics franchise-everything Rajon Rondo has spent this season’s opening two weeks re-solidifying himself as one of the most magnificent passers in NBA history, and one of its most inventive playmakers.
Unparalleled court vision and intuitive basketball intelligence are the traits he’s most known for, and with good reason. We could go on and on discussing how great Rondo’s impact is when getting everyone else involved—like how he makes Tyler Zeller look like Wilt Chamberlain—but another part of his game is worth discussing.
It’s perhaps overlooked, at least relative to everything else he does, or better yet taken for granted: rebounding.
Rondo is 6’1” and solely logs time at a position that’s totally disconnected from attacking the glass. Grabbing rebounds simply isn't in his job description. Nobody expects it from him, or any other point guard, for that matter. But Rondo isn’t any other point guard.
He’s the most positionally and stylistically unique basketball player in the world, a flurry of unrepeatable action. He doesn’t just dabble in everything, he thrives at it. Right now, Rondo is averaging 8.2. rebounds per game. Charlotte Hornets guard Lance Stephenson (who stands 6’5”) is the only guard averaging more, and the only point guard even close to Rondo's figure is Stephen Curry at 6.1.
OK, now to put this even further into perspective, here's a look at some other players throughout the league Rondo is out-rebounding so far: Kenneth Faried, LaMarcus Aldridge, Derrick Favors, Blake Griffin, Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka and Al Horford.
"#Celtics Rajon Rondo joins Oscar Robertson ('61-62) as only players in #NBA history w/50+ assists and 36+ rebounds after 1st 4 games.
— A. Sherrod Blakely (@SherrodbCSN) November 6, 2014"
Historically speaking, this sort of thing just doesn't happen. It's very early and a lot of basketball has yet to be played, but only four point guards in NBA history have ever averaged at least eight boards in a season, per Basketball-Reference: Robertson (five times), Fat Lever (four times), a 33-year-old Jason Kidd and Darrell Walker. Rondo is at least three inches shorter than them all.
Aside from the physically stunning sight it is to see one of the smallest guys on the floor duck into the paint and emerge with the ball time and time again, why is this so meaningful? Two things happen when Rondo corrals a defensive rebound himself: 1.) He doesn’t need to wait for an outlet pass and 2.) a teammate doesn’t need to throw it. This puts turbo thrusters on Boston’s transition offense, giving it an extra second to get ahead of the retreating opposition.
In other words, Rondo isn’t leaving his man on the perimeter just to see how many triple-doubles he can wrack up. All this is productive; it has purpose. Rondo does stray from his assignment from time to time—though mostly when guarding players who can’t shoot—but on plays where he’s single-handedly preventing the other team from grabbing an offensive rebound it’s worthwhile.
Here he is drifting into the paint, then rushing back out to contest Jeremy Lamb’s three. It's solid effort.
On the Celtics, Rondo is second only to Jared Sullinger in rebounds per game, total rebounds and total rebound rate, but his impact on the offensive glass is especially humongous. The team averages 14.5 offensive rebounds per 48 minutes with Rondo on the floor and only 8.6 with him on the sideline. That’s a bit of a difference, and it’s no wonder that Boston, a team lacking an actual starting center, has one of the three highest offensive rebound rates in the league.
When Rondo grabs an offensive rebound, the defense devolves into a scrambling mess. People are out of position, mismatches materialize all over the floor and Boston's point guard is a kid in a candy store. (In the first GIF below, Rondo is helped out by Avery Bradley, a fearless rebounder himself.)
The Celtics need Rondo to leave his giant fingerprints on as many aspects of the game as he possibly can. He’s a superstar, after all, but, more importantly, Boston’s frontcourt isn’t the deepest in the league. Sullinger is a very good rebounder. Kelly Olynyk and Zeller are maturing 7-footers, but have been known to get pushed around a bit down low. Jeff Green should be tremendous on the glass, but has never put it together.
With no rim protector, the absolute last thing Boston can afford to do on defense is give the other team more than one crack at scoring on the same possession. Rebounding is critical to this team’s success, and Rondo understands that. So far, he's going above and beyond what any other player at his position would be expected to do.
You might say it's just "Rondo being Rondo," but that belittles the feat. Instead, let's call it what it is: Rondo being awesome.
All statistics are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com or NBA.com, unless otherwise noted.
Michael Pina is an NBA writer who's been published at Bleacher Report, Sports on Earth, Fox Sports, Grantland and a few other very special places. Follow him on Twitter @MichaelVPina.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
