NBA Prediction 2011: Rajon Rondo Is the Best Point Guard in the NBA

The point guard position is the most important in the NBA. Not only does the point guard act as the floor general, he is the first line of defense and often a strong, vocal leader. There are so many outstanding point guards in the NBA today, but one is rapidly becoming a true MVP candidate.

Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics is taking the NBA by storm. This veteran four-year player from Kentucky continues to prove waves of critics wrong each year. 

Rondo is the best point guard in the NBA; he is the total package. He is the best rebounding guard in the game by far, is an excellent passer, and an All-NBA first team defender. While his his scoring is not needed so much on the Celtics, he is a very capable scorer with either his improved mid-range jumper or beating his opponents off the dribble with his impeccable speed.

Rondo is very similar to Jason Kidd in his prime. Rajon may not have the shooting range Kidd had, but he is a triple-double threat every night against any team. 

Defense has been the staple of the Boston Celtics since their 2008 NBA championship winning season. Rondo is at the forefront of Boston's defensive dominance, earning a first team All-NBA defensive honor last season, averaging 2.3 steals per game, and being a nightmare for the NBA's top players, including Kobe Bryant, Deron Williams, and Chris Paul.

Rajon's true value is found in his postseason play. He has five career playoff triple-doubles in only three postseasons. In the 2010 playoffs, Rondo averaged 15.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, and 9.3 apg. His amazing triple-double in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. Cleveland was a perfect example of his value to the Celtics. In a must win game, Rondo handily outplayed Lebron James by recording 29 points, 13 assists, and 18 rebounds. By himself, he won the game for the Celtics and completely swung the series in their favor, as the Celtics won the next two games to finish off the Cavaliers. His steal against Jason Williams in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Finals was a great example of his hustle and commitment to win every individual matchup. That one amazing play, ignited the Celtics to a rout in Game Three and left the Orlando Magic emotionally deflated.

Rondo is the player the Celtics absolutely cannot lose. He is a truly unique talent, and they have no one to replace his set of skills. When Kevin Garnett was lost for the 2009 playoffs, the Celtics were still a championship contender, but without Rondo, the Celtics would not have advanced past the first round, especially in 2009 when Boston endured an all-time classic seven game series vs. Chicago. In that epic series, Rondo was the series' dominant player, outplaying Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose. 

Rondo has his flaws too, just like every NBA player. His foul shooting is quite poor, and while he has worked with the NBA leader in all-time free throw percentage Mark Price, there is little improvement in his free throw performance. 

However, the biggest knock on Rondo is his outside shooting. Many teams dare Rajon to shoot the ball because they do not think he can consistently knock it down, and they do not want to get burned by his great speed and quickness. 

In comparison to other top point guards, Rondo's all-around talents outshine many popular guards. Chris Paul, one of the most overrated players in the NBA, cannot lead a team like Rondo does. He is too selfish and wants to score way too often. Even though New Orleans does not have an offense as good as Boston's, Paul needs to learn to make his teammates much better players because the greatest point guards of the NBA made their teammates play at two or three higher levels than before. Magic Johnson made James Worthy, Byron Scott, and AC Green far better players than they would have been if Magic was not a Laker. 

The closest player to Rajon Rondo is Deron Williams of the Utah Jazz. Still underrated, Williams is very valuable to the Jazz, and like Paul, he is one of their primary offensive options. But in the playoffs, Williams has not done enough to vault his Jazz to the next level. The Jazz always come up short, granted they have run into the Lakers often the past few seasons. But Deron should still be able to get what he wants against LA, but he has not yet performed to his regular season prowess in the playoffs.

As Rondo continues to improve, he will become almost unguardable. When he can shoot from the outside with great consistency, he will become one of the top five players in the NBA. His offense, playmaking, and defensive abilities make him the total package and a true threat to become the 2011 NBA MVP.

The MVP award is not a best player award, and many fans fail to realize this. Rondo's value to the Celtics is unmatched by any player for any team. The media and fans alike did not expect Boston to make the NBA Finals last season, entering the playoffs as a fourth seed. But with Rajon Rondo healthy, Boston can easily lift the Larry O'Brien trophy next June.