Wednesday, October 10th, 2012 at 2:00 pm  |  126 responses

Rajon Rondo Explains Why He Thinks He’s the NBA’s Best Point Guard


Rajon Rondo has never lacked confidence in his own abilities. Not only does he believe he’s the NBA’s top floor general today, Rondo also aims to go down as the greatest point guard in Boston Celtics history. Rajon tells Boston Common Magazine why he should be considered the best at his position in the game (via WEEI): “It’s always the whole package,’ he says. ‘Some fans look at a point guard and say he had 26 points, seven assists, and eight rebounds, and they’ll say he had a great game. But there is a lot of talent in the NBA, and eventually that talent catches up with you. The mental game is where it’s at. I would say the game is 80 percent mental and 20 percent physical, for me at least. What separates great players from good ones is performing consistently. I can dominate the game in any number of ways, not just with the numbers.’ [...] People can judge point guards by assessing passing, scoring, defense, and a slew of other things, but Rondo takes it a little further. ‘My definition of what a good point guard is might be different from what some others might think,’ he says. ‘I’ll give you an example: If [head coach] Doc Rivers gets thrown out, I can run the team for the rest of the game. I know what plays to call, what sets to call, or when to call time outs. It’s more than keeping track of the score. There is so much more going on that you take for granted on any given night, and there are only so many guys who can run a team when you don’t have a coach. In that category I think I am the best at what I do.’”

  • Add a Comment
  • Share
  • RSS

Tags: ,

  • Junior Taylor

    When did Chris Paul pass?

  • roscoe

    when defenses start going on the top on screens bc rajon’s jumper is a threat i can put him behind cp3 as the second best pg in the nba, but that is just me.

  • roscoe

    * over the top of screens

  • roscoe

    truth.

  • justin05

    When Rose is healthy he is in front of rajon but I agree 100%

  • justin05

    Ball fakes lol. He’s more showy than Chris Paul but not as great. He has longer arms so he gets better looking steals also. I’d rather have Deron Williams or a healthy Rose over Rondo in the last 5 minutes of a game.

  • justin05

    unintelligent guy again…

  • justin05

    verified account, you dumb homie

  • Caboose

    Better looking steals? Like aesthetically pleasing? Because Rondo has only got more steals than Paul once in his 6 years in the league.

  • Caboose

    Get used to it around here. Don’t forget the delusional Bulls fans who think that Rose will be ready in December and will be 100% when he gets back.

  • bigbadbo

    @ByAnyMeansNecessary Totally agree with you, CP3 is a floor general, and the best in the game at it. You are right saying D rose stats are just as productive as Rondo’s, But I do think that Deron Williams is more dangerous that CP3 on any given night, he just lacks consistency. You also have to credit Rondo with the toughness award, CP and rose have both suffered from injuries, but Rondo takes it to another level!

  • Datkid

    Absolutely nothing. Guys just love to neck Rondo bc it seems like he succeeds w/o having a basic basketball skill, which is inspiring. Nobody really realizes how much of a smart athletic and lengthy freak he has to be to make up for it, never mind the teams he’s been on. That is one thing you could say tho, that bc of CP’s injuries he’s more athletic. but CP does literally everything else so much better.

  • Datkid

    Russell Westbrook definitely gave him the business once

  • Datkid

    you’re insane pposse

  • http://twitter.com/Jzakoni Verified Account

    rajon’s a prime PG. go away street rat

  • Caboose

    I actually kinda find it funny how Rondo just redefined what “best point guard” is to try to fit himself. I imagine JR Smith saying that best SG is defined as “he who can average the most shots per minute. Because, I mean, it’s got SHOOTING guard in the title, isn’t that what we’re supposed to do? I think I fulfill the very definition of the best shooting guard.”

  • justin05

    Rajon is a top 5 pg but he’s not your homie

  • jtexas93

    Rondo is right and is a very smart individual he is the smartest point guard in the league and will be inducted into springfield when its all said and done

  • justin05

    Just showy, more length so he’s able to reach a little further. He had a great one a few years ago in a playoff game(can’t remember which one) where he dove and took it away. Chris Paul is more elusive and quick overall however.

  • Caboose

    Agreed. Dwight gets the more photogenic blocks but Bogut’s are far more valuable.

  • Prem

    Kyrie Irving and Rubio will destroy Rondo. God forbid Wade starts playing point guard again because he’ll probably be the best point guard. Rondo is on crack. His jump shot is the worst of all point guards in the league and makes him a liability Rondo is going to be terrible now without Ray Allen who is the best shooter in the NBA.

  • Caboose

    Smartest point guard in the league?
    Kidd, Nash, Paul, Parker, Miller, Billups, maybe Rubio. Rondo doesn’t exactly strike me as a smart bloke, just someone who can play the game.

  • VanCityBBall

    Rajon is one of the smartest players in the game in general… i forget which coach said this but he said when playing against Boston, Rondo can figure out the defence and offence of the opposing team mid-game. He can tell his teammates to be ready for screens and even who the play is being called for to be ready…

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    I wouldn’t say that Rondo is tougher than Chris or Derrick because he hasn’t been injured like they have. Both Chris and Derrick have been basically the beginning and the end for their teams on the offensive end of the floor. A huge offensive load to carry. More work. Rondo didn’t really start playing a lot until KG and Ray got to Boston. He’s never had to carry a team like Chris and Derrick have.

  • Shifty

    Rondo is a player who can dominate the game in many different ways. He doesn’t need to score to win games. He can get a double double in rebounds and assists and win games and only score two points. Probably one of te best players in the play offs too regularly getting triple doubles. And doc says that he can let rondo do his thing and at times let’s him call the shots. How many people can say Avery Johnson lets deron do that? Or who else has a better relationship? Paul, rose, Westbrook, and deron all need to score for their teams to win even if u do have Durant on your team. Rondo doesn’t need to score, and if I’m correct rondo was making clutch jumpers when it mattered, in the ECF. Sure they didnt win but te celtics pushed the heat further then any other team. A year or two ago he had the highest field goal % for a guard 6,4 and under and he’s a assist leader and people say well he’s around 3 hall of famers but at the same time people are putting those guys down for being too old. He confident and that’s what u need. Also career wise he’s 0.1 rebounds below Chris Paul. But I must admit. Chris Paul can take teams to the playoffs with medi core talent around him. Can’t say the same for deron.

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    I’ve already said once on here that Chris is the only guy who could fit on every team in the league. Read the comments before you state your opinion. As for more success with the Bulls, I doubt it since Rose is a better scorer than Chris is. Chris would fit in but at times when they absolutely need a basket, Derrick is better at getting to the rim and finishing than any other player in the league outside of LeBron. He could have gotten to the playoffs with the squad that had Tyson Chandler and Peja Stojakovic and he would’ve made it two seasons ago with the team that lost to the Lakers in the 1st round. I hope you understand that what you’re saying is that Chris would have had a better season than Rose did during his MVP season by saying that he would have more success with that team. You’re also saying that they would have done better against LeBron and the Heat in the ECF. Shocking as it may sound, I think you’re underrating Derrick Rose.

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    You said it yourself….Paul, Rose, Westbrook and Deron all need to score for their teams to win. Not because they can’t do anything else, but because they’re smart enough to know that if they don’t score, their teams won’t win. One of the top qualities a PG needs is intelligence. They have to know what’s best for their teams. All of those guys know and they do what they need to do just as Rondo knows that he doesn’t need to score for Boston to win. What makes Chris Paul better in my opinion is that if he was in Boston and the team all of a sudden needed him to score consistently to win, he could do it. Rondo can’t on a consistent basis. Rondo’s jumpshot is streaky. He got hot during that Heat series. But his shot still isn’t consistent. He doesn’t even trust it himself. As for Deron, he’s never had a mediocre team to play with so that he could try to take them to the playoffs. He’s either had good teams in Utah or terrible teams like the Nets have been since he arrived.

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    The only time I remember Russell playing really well against the Bulls was this past season when he dunked on Omer Asik and Derrick didn’t play in that game.

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    That whole Springfield thing won’t be decided until KG and Paul leave Boston. Then we’ll all really see what he’s made of when he is the unquestioned leader of that team.

  • RONDO

    All yall talk too much rondo not being the best. Yall have too much time in your hands. Did Cp3, Rose, Russel, Derron win a championship?? RONDO IS THE KING OF TRIPLE DOUBLE & HAS A RING & IS THE BEST. FCUK ALL YALL HATERS!!

  • errday

    I disagree, I’ve seen him be able to score at will plenty of times.

    Its just when his team needs a score, they’ve almost always gone to Pierce to get something going. No sense having a PG go full-scorer when you’ve got one of the best in the L in generating their own shot on the court as well. It didn’t work in the CFs because LeBron shut Pierce down consistently so Rondo had to go mental.

    Which he did.

  • clydesays

    Chalmers doesn’t have much game to respect. And you have to believe your the best. Except if you’re Starbury.

  • Redd

    I may be wrong but I also feel like Rose playing in his hometown has given him a boost and hunger. I’m a huge Bulls fan but I can’t knock that as a factor.

  • http://twitter.com/Jzakoni Verified Account

    we had a couple of brews earlier with your momma earlier, whatcha mean?!

  • http://twitter.com/_DFrance DFrance

    I’m a C’s fan because of KG, so I love Rondo too, but I just like Deron Williams better. Anyway, I think that Rondo will surprise people with his scoring ability once PP retires.

  • uqk

    can’t wait to see Celtics vs Nets :D

  • uqk

    chalmers got ring too..

  • uqk

    defense & rebound…something related to wingspan, bigger palm, & height :)

  • pposse

    yah cause the whole world is stroking CP like you for things that he did four years ago, for some reason he still gets to live off that rep

  • pposse

    when rose is healthy is above and beyond all of those chumps, ask coach K who woulda started the 2012 olympics..enough said!

  • pposse

    just cause you average more doesnt mean your a better passer or rebounder, hey Caboose who has more head to head victories? both have mediocre stats when playing against each other but who is shooting at 42% while the other is at 46%?? I did mention Rondo’s size right? I think and know what you know not about this game, I may forgive you for your treasons….you never know! (drake voice)

  • justin05

    perfect analogy lol

  • justin05

    Stupid and immature lol. I hope you don’t plan on commenting on this website all season because we appreciate intelligent opinions here. Thanks.

  • pposse

    look ALL great pg’s in the game can adapt their game when playing along great players, and ALL great pg’s can make a bad team look good. more than anything with chris paul it comes down to his size…Deron, d rose and Rondo are bigger than him and I know that both Rondo and Rose have proven themselves, not so sure about Deron (but he did drop 57 pts in a single game, and that is noteworthy). A lot of this rhetoric about cp3 is from what he accomplished in 08, nothing lately. He gets injured often, and like i said it comes down to size for me. As a coach, GM, and a fan i would trust the guy that is physically superior, which is everyone listed and then CP last. pg debates can go on and on, im gonna take the guy with the size and proven abilities before i take the undersized guy with proven abilities.

  • MackAtttack

    Chris Paul is still the number one PURE point guard in the league and I don’t even think it’s close right now. Some could argue Derrick Rose, Deron Williams or even Russell Westbrook (for those absurd moments) are better at the 1 but the overall package belongs to CP3. He can score consistently, has an above average jumper, attacks relentlessly, heads his defense and comes up with steals left and right, is obsessively competitive (lifting his teammates as well) and he’s the single best at creating for his teammates in the NBA. I got CP3 at my number one and D-Rose number 2 but the next 3 are debatable for positioning.

  • Shifty

    He is meaning that if that ever happened he would be able to step in and make the sort of decisions the coach would do.

  • Shifty

    His jumpshot is streaky but its getting better. He just has some big ass hands and long arms. With Chris Paul do you mean score consistently over a couple of games or just score consistently from 1st quarter to 4th? So your saying that scoring is Te only thing separating him from being the best?

  • roscoe

    how did you determine Rondo = 13% < CP3?

  • http://twitter.com/Jzakoni Verified Account

    LOL, hey man. i been posting here since last season. I’m just having fun. its just a website, ease up bruh

  • Clos1881

    So saying your the best means your insecure? Muhammad Ali was insecure as shit then

Advertisement