Ragin’ Rajon
Celtics’ point guard has emerged as an indispensable piece of puzzle
NBA. Leave it to the Celtics’ shortest starting player to fill in for their biggest void.
But while Kevin Garnett missed nine games before the All-Star break, it was Rajon Rondo who stepped up his game and helped the C’s stay on point. As a result, the Celtics were 7-2 and won five straight without Garnett before last night’s game in Denver.
“I’ve been more aggressive, I believe, getting to the paint,” Rondo said. “KG is supposed to establish [the offense] when he is in the game, so I wanted to be the guy that gets into the paint and creates for other guys.”
In Garnett’s absence, Rondo averaged 15.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.9 steals per game, all of which were higher than his season totals. He scored a career-high 24 points in a win over the Clippers on Feb. 6 and had a season-best 12 assists in a victory over the Spurs on Feb. 10.
But it’s been his rebounding that has caught the eye of his teammates. The 6-foot-1 point guard grabbed a career-high 12 boards, including a game-clinching rebound over 7-footer Dirk Nowitzki, in a win over Dallas on Jan. 31. Rondo also pulled down a key late rebound in an 11-board performance against the Spurs.
“Every time he leads us in rebounds, we seem to win,” Paul Pierce joked of Rondo, who has led the C’s in rebounds three times with Garnett out. “Keep hitting the boards, Rondo.”
The second-year floor general, in his first season as the full-time starter, has even drawn the praise of a Hall of Fame point guard.
“I just think [Rondo is] their most important player,” former Pistons guard and current Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said. “When we came into the season, everyone kind of had a question mark about him, but I think he’s the guy that really makes them go. If Paul goes out, I think Ray [Allen] and KG can step in. I just don’t think they have another guy that does what Rondo can do. He’s smart and plays with great intelligence out there. He’s such a perfect compliment for all those guys. I can’t say enough about him.
“To me, he’s their most important guy.”