4 Things Rajon Rondo Could Learn from Boston Celtics Legend Bob Cousy

Current Boston Celtics starting point guard Rajon Rondo and former point guard Bob Cousy are arguably two of the best in team history. Yet Rondo has plenty of room to grow, as Cousy was easily the best, most complete point guard in Celtics history.

To his credit, Rondo, like Cousy, has won an NBA championship. The two also are point guards that can play defense and make offensive players work to get to their spots on the court.

In comparing the two, it's evident Cousy has a much greater understanding of the game and ways to help lead his team.

Here are the four things Rondo could learn from Hall of Fame Celtics point guard Bob Cousy.

Scoring Effectively

When it comes to his offensive game, point guard Rajon Rondo is known for his scrappy, tough drives to the basket and ability to find open teammates with ease.

Yet when it comes to scoring on offense, Rondo doesn't necessarily play with consistency nor the edge that would make a player like him a superstar in the league.

Most of his struggles scoring are due to the fact he is a tentative jump-shooter. Defenders tend to give Rondo a good five to 10 feet of space, making it more difficult to get into the lane and make something happen at the rim.

Averaging 10.7 points per game for his career with the team, Rondo can certainly put up improved numbers. Cousy, unlike Rondo, had a knack for scoring the ball as well as distributing the ball to teammates in the flashiest of ways. He could take the ball to the rim as well as shoot the basketball effectively.

Cousy was a player a lot like Rondo, who could take the ball to the rim and was excellent at dribbling the basketball. Yet Cousy, unlike Rondo, used his ball-handling skills to take his offense up a notch, while Rondo still continues to hesitate to score late in ball games.

Expanding His Range

Rajon Rondo can score the basketball when needed, yet his limited shooting range hurts him as a basketball player. Bob Cousy, on the other hand, could shoot the ball well and with range.

Rondo is what one would consider a timid jump-shooter, a guy that much prefers to take the ball to the basket as oppose to settling for a wide open shot. Yet there are several times a game when he will opt to take a contested layup instead of taking a wide-open 12' jumper.

It's not really that Rondo can't shoot the basketball—in fact, he has shown improvement in his ability to hit his open looks. Yet what seems to be the big difference between him and a player like Cousy is that Rondo lacks the confidence in those shots.

The answer for Rondo is to take several more shots a game and live with the consequences. Cousy's percentage was not necessarily impressive, as he was never able to shoot 40 percent in any season. The big difference between the two is that Cousy took more open looks, and as a result improved as a scorer.

Cousy averaged 18.3 shots per game, while Rondo averages just 9.1 a contest. This is not to say Rondo needs to attempt 18 field goals a game, but he is given too many open looks on the offensive end to take just 9.1 a game.

Improving His Free-Throw Percentage

It might look like Rondo has the concentration necessary to hit free throws on a consistent basis. Yes, I assure you, looks are deceiving.

Rondo has actually worsened as a free-throw shooter since entering the league, as his 64.7 percent from the line his rookie year is now down to 56.8 percent. With poor numbers like these, Rondo makes himself significantly less effective of a player, as he has the quickness and strength to get the line consistently.

Cousy, however, was a strong free-throw shooter, shooting a consistent 80.3 percent for his career. Rondo has both poor technique and consistency at the line, making his impressive ability to get the basket that much less of a factor.

Leading His Team

When it comes to leading the Boston Celtics, surely Rajon Rondo is becoming the player that runs this team. Yet even still, the Big Three in Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen are the three players that are helping this ball club contend for NBA championships.

This is not to say Rondo isn't as important a factor, but he certainly has room to grow as a leader of his ball club. With the Big Three now one year older and the responsibility of helping the team win games becoming a more difficult task, Rondo now will have the chance to prove his worth as a leader of his ball club.

Cousy was a big-time leader for his Celtics teams back in the day, getting it done on both ends of the floor and helping the ball club win six NBA championships. Rondo is surely a leader, yet it will be interesting to see whether he establishes himself as the mail leader of this Celtics team in the seasons to come.

Follow B/R featured columnist Luis Batlle on twitter @lbatll1.