With all the talented point guards in the NBA, (Chris Paul, Deron Williams, last year's MVP Derrick Rose), it may seem difficult to make a case for Rondo as the best point guard in the league, especially since he has three future hall-of-famers on this team. But if you watched Christmas day special against the Knicks, you will understand where I am coming from. Over the past couple of years, more than any other point guard, Rondo has adapted his game to exactly what Boston has asked of him. It's true that of all the top point guards in the league, Rondo's lack of a perimeter game makes him an unattractive candidate to build a team around. But the fact of the matter is that Rondo doesn't need a consistent outside shot because of the talent around him. Rondo's job, like every point guard's job, is to run an efficient offense that gets off high quality shots. In this aspect, a strong case can be made for Rondo as the best set-up man in the game.
Rondo had 31 points, 13 assists, and 5 steals in the game against the Knicks on Sunday, an impressive game by any standards. However, believe it or not, Rondo's impact on the game goes much beyond what his stats showed. Rondo gives the Celtics offense a sense of fluency it just would not have without him. Rondo drove to the lane almost at will and demanded that at least two to three defenders to pay attention to him on every play. When the help didn't get there quick enough, he would take the shot himself and if it was there, he would kick out to a teammate who would either take a shot or keep the ball moving for a better shot. When Rondo saw that the half-court offense wasn't working, he would get the defensive rebound and push the ball himself up the court, essentially creating a one-man fast break and he would create good looks for both himself and his teammates. Rondo kept an undersized Celtics team in the game without Paul Pierce and with an underperforming Ray Allen. Rondo was even his hitting jump shots, something that he's heavily been criticized for and something he's worked incredibly hard to improve over the past couple of years. At the end of the game, Garnett misses a mid-range jump shot that would have been money three years ago, a shot that was set up by New York's fear of Rondo penetrating off the screen. With the way that Carmelo Anthony was playing and with Paul Pierce out with an injury, this game should really shouldn't have been close. Yet once again, Rondo made something out of nothing, as he has for the past three years, and kept the aging Celtics in the game with the run and gun Knicks.
Even with players of immense caliber such as Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce on the Celtics, their offense would not be the same if you didn't have a player like Rondo who puts these players in a position to score. You have to understand that all three of these players were used to dominating the ball on their respective teams and when they came together, the question on everyone's mind was whether or not there was enough offense to go around. Rondo quickly answered this by developing into the ideal point guard, benefiting not only the big three but also the Celtic bench which was a critical part of their championship run. Without Rondo, its questionable whether or not the Celtics would have even made their two finals appearances, let alone have won one. Rondo's value to his team is just as important as is Rose's, Williams', or Paul's value to their respective teams, but these players are consistently placed ahead of Rondo on the casual fan's top point guard list.
What undermines Rondo in the eyes of many people is the fact that his jump shot isn't up to par with the average point guard. But what he lacks on the perimeter, he makes up with an incredibly high basketball IQ and an unmatched tenacity for the ball, which allows him to constantly be a league leader in assists, steals, and rebounds (for guards). So what if Rondo isn't a knockdown jump shooter from the perimeter and so what if he's a below average free throw shooter? Since when were those the qualifications for a good point guard? Magic Johnson is widely regarded as one of the top three point guards to ever play the game, not because he shot 30% from the three point line or 84% from the free throw stripe but because the Showtime Lakers were considered the greatest five players to ever be put on a basketball court together. Magic was the anchor, the unquestioned leader for those Lakers, similar to Rondo's role with today's Boston Celtics. A point guard's role is like a quarterback's role in football in the sense that they both are required to run an offense. Nobody runs an offense better than Rajon Rondo and if you don't believe me, watch a Celtics game and compare the Celtics' offense from when Rondo is in the game to when he is taken out of the game. The fluency, efficiency, and explosiveness that allows the Celtics to wear down their opponents is just not there when he's not in the game. It's true that the same can be said for the Bulls, Nets, and Clippers when their respective point guards are on the bench, but what makes Rondo so special is that he does not have to have the ball in his hands to work his magic. Rondo exemplifies what a true point guard in the NBA should be like. A point guard doesn't have to be the one to take the last shot or even have game-winning assist. A point guard's job is to make sure that every possession ends with a quality shot and in this aspect, Rondo is the best in the business.
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