Orchestrating his teammates to be in certain places on the floor, constantly communicating on defense or even slightly pulling down Wesley Johnson’s shorts while being on the sidelines are some of the things that make Rajon Rondo a mercurial on-court magician.
His tenacious defense and willingness to make his teammates better are the characteristics that have made him beloved by his teammates throughout his career.
Rarely have we heard negative things said about Rondo from his teammates during his career, which is very important in the grand scheme of judging his character. Rondo is also very adamant about that when doing interviews.
“If you ask any of my teammates in the past nine years they will speak for my character,” Rondo told Grant Napear on Media Day. “I don’t have to defend my character or who I am as a person or human being.”
As you can see, Rondo likes to keep his business in-house and doesn’t care for his naysayers or what they have to say.
When he signed his one-year contract, very few people gave him a chance and criticized the Kings for signing him. Surprisingly after his season debut, many of his naysayers jumped to the conclusion that he should be replaced in the starting lineup.
Rondo quickly shut some mouths Friday night against the Lakers when he scored 21 points on 9-of-13 and dished out eight assists in 25 minutes of action. He played like the four-time All-Star and NBA champion the Kings believed they signed in the offseason.
He played aggressively and was in attack mode on the offensive end, which opened up the game for him and his teammates, telling signs of a true leader.
“I wanted to come out aggressive tonight,” Rondo told reporters Friday night. “I knew I had to be a lot more aggressive than I was last game, get guys involved. I wasn’t aggressive enough for our team to be successful.”
Naturally, many of his new teammates were very excited for him after the 132-114 victory.
The question many had was how would Rondo respond on the second night of a back-to-back against the very talented Los Angeles Clippers? Well, he continued his aggressive play and nearly helped his team pull out the victory without DeMarcus Cousins in the second half.
Rondo finished the game with 21 points, eight assists and five rebounds. Yes, he did it again. Rondo played a complete game against a very good team and not against a young, inexperienced Lakers team.
He clearly still has All-Star intangibles, and while playing in George Karl’s up-tempo offense, it’s hard to believe that he will not flourish in it. His basketball IQ is off the charts, and his fierce competitiveness has been on display the past three games.
It’s very evident that he still loves the game of basketball and through that passion, he has earned the respect of his teammates very quickly.
“I feel like he understands the game even more than he did at that point (during his Boston days),” Cousins said. “The old Rondo? I don’t know what that means. (He’s) the same Rondo to me.”
Even with all of the positive vibes coming from the players and organization, the naysayers are waiting in the loom for the first mistake to pop up. Rondo knows he has a target on his back and even though he says he doesn’t care, one can only ignore negativity for so long.
Media members aren’t the only ones looking for a blunder. Fans who dislike Rondo are also anxiously waiting to say, “I told you so,” which is sickening but that is the type of world in which we live. Social media is a great outlet to have but it can easily be used to destroy a player’s body of work when a simple mistake is committed.
Many fans and plenty of negative members of the media want to base most of Rondo’s current state on his stint with Dallas but that would only be looking at the glass half empty and not half full.
How about judging Rondo entirely and not just based on what has happened recently?
But that will not change anytime soon because bad publicity sells and that’s the only thing that matters to many media outlets and many fans.
But when you are a strong-minded individual like Rondo, you can thrive on pressure and always have an answer to adversity. That is why many members of his team have bought into identifying themselves as the “suicide squad,” which has brought a unique element to this season.
The creed embodies a sense of optimism and an us-against-the-world mentality. Those are the type of things that can elevate your game and make nonbelievers believe again. The players are fully aware of that, which is why they have taken this approach.
One thing is for certain; Rondo has brought leadership and playmaking to a team that has badly needed it for some time now. If he continues to perform at a high level like he has over the past two games, then look for Sacramento to be relevant in the playoff race and respected nationally.
“I know a lot of people doubted me, but they’ve doubted me since I came in the league,” Rondo said. “It doesn’t really bother me at all. I go from the gym to home, home to the gym.”
You have to love his attitude.
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