Rajon Rondo is a rare case in the league today, mostly due to the amount of film he watches compared to other players. But he also watches games in their entirety – a rarity among players – before breaking them down piece by piece. Because of this, Celtics assistant coach Armond Hill teams with Doc Rivers to prepare a more in-depth tape for Rondo.
NBA. Most 22-year-olds who spend their days inside watching videos are looked at as the dregs of society, introverts who could drop a random Pauly Shore line to anyone who will listen, even if it’s their pet ferret.
But if you’re the starting point guard of the Celtics, and you drown your afternoons watching hours of game tapes, well, you’re maximizing your ability.
Such is the life of Rajon Rondo, who has made insurmountable strides for the Celtics this season and finished fifth this week in the voting for the league’s Most Improved Player Award. According to C’s coach Doc Rivers, Rondo watches more film than anyone on the team, and the coaching staff takes extra steps to prepare Rondo for his study sessions.
“Since high school, I’ve been watching a lot of film,” Rondo said. “For me, I feel it’s an advantage to study the game and know the team’s tendencies, what they like to run. I shut off their passing lanes sometimes. That’s how I get charges on certain players.”
Specifically, Rondo knows Hawks point guard Mike Bibby likes to reject the pick and roll and Suns floor general Steve Nash can’t move backward while playing defense. But Rondo also knows what plays opposing teams will run in each circumstance, meaning he typically finds himself in the right place at the right time.
“I know what play is next in each situation, especially when I’m on the court,” said Rondo, who estimated watching Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals 12 times before Game 2, while Rivers watched it four times. “I know exactly what’s going to happen next.”
Rondo has also taken his film watching an extra step. He’s picked up pump fakes from Paul Pierce and low-post moves from Kevin Garnett, all from studying his teammates on tape.
“I was really impressed with [Rondo] the first practice that we had going into the playoffs,” Rivers said. “We would introduce a play, and before we gave a name to it, Rondo was calling ‘Three up, four down.’ You don’t see that very often.”