After the trades this summer, one of the biggest questions that kept coming up concerned the point guard position. First, many questioned whether or not Rondo could handle the starting PG position in only his second season. He started off the season last year as the back up to Telfair and he even pulled several DNP's from Doc before being given the starting job toward the end of the season. And, then there was the question of his ability to shoot the ball.
Beyond the question of the starting point guard position which everyone agrees is Rondo's, there were questions as to who would back up Rondo. The only other point guard on the team is Gabe Pruitt, a rookie. According to Danny and Doc, Pruitt has had a great camp so far and has been impressive. In the first game, though, he showed that he is still not read to play against strong defensive pressure and double teams. But, as time goes on, Pruitt will be getting more and more of the back up PG minutes as he develops his game and his confidence.
According to Danny, we also have Ray Allen, Tony Allen and Eddie House to back up Rondo. Eddie House was an eye opener in the first game. Although he is primarily a scorer, he can handle the ball and will be able to back up Rondo at the point as well as be a microwave type scorer off the bench. Tony still looks rather scary when he plays the point but Ray can handle minutes here and there at the point when Rondo is on the bench. It looks like Eddie House will be the primary back up with Tony as his back court mate. It has been mentioned in several articles that they have developed chemistry during camp and work well together in the back court. House looked comfortable bringing the ball up the court and as we saw from the first game, we will have no shortage of assists from positions other than the point with plays like the one below.
Rondo did a good job of running the team in his first game. He was willing to take the shot when it was there and his form looked good. He also did a good job of pushing the ball up the court and finding the open man as well. He got good reviews in most of the game reviews but the most important praise came from his all star teammates.
Kevin Garnett has been effusive in his praise of Rondo. When asked about the young point guard in an interview after the first game, he had this to say:
"Rondo's exceptional. He's a great young talent who has a great IQ for basketball. I look forward to watching him in the future and him being one of the best, if not the best, point guards in the league one day. I love his work ethic. I like the way he grows and continues to get better. I see a number of great things for him in the future."
“I didn’t realize how young Rondo was,” Garnett said of the 21-year-old. “And I didn’t know how good of a defender he was. I just thought of him as an average defender, knowing what little I did from last year. “But so far he’s been phenomenal for us. He’s come in and he’s a very, very hard worker. You know I respect that right off the bat. He comes in and gets his nose dirty. He plays really, really hard. I love him. He’s unselfish. I’m trying to get him acclimated with Ray and Paul and myself.” Garnett paused, shook his head and added, “I didn’t know this was just his second year, man. If Rondo’s not good, it’d only be because he doesn’t want to be good. The sky’s the limit for that kid.”
But Garnett wasn't the only star to be saying very positive things about Rondo. Pierce joined in the praise as well.
“He’s a year more mature,” Pierce said. “You can tell he really worked on a lot of aspects of his game this summer. His confidence is a lot higher. There’s times where he’s taking his shot. We encouraged him to take it last year, and now he’s stepping up and taking the shots that are there. He just seems more comfortable. I think he’s really building on the end of the season and what he did last year.”
And Ray Allen, who has taken Rondo under his wing and has been working with him on his shooting, also has good things to say about him.
“I think he’s doing really well,” Allen said. “He’s fitting right in. He’s learning a lot. He’s been soaking everything in, and that’s what you want to see from a guy in his situation.”
Allen found an eager pupil in his younger backcourt partner, and is optimistic that Rondo will make strides in his second season. ‘‘He’s a smart kid,’’ said Allen. ‘‘He doesn’t claim to know everything. He steps out there and asks plenty of questions. He wants to be good. He asks questions about his shots. ‘‘The sky’s the limit for him. It’s a matter of him playing games and being a student in practice.’’
Along with the endorsements from the three all stars he will be playing with on the first unit, Rondo has also received praise from his coach.
Rivers saw enough to be confident that Rondo will be ready to run an offense with Garnett, Paul Pierce and Allen. ‘‘Rajon Rondo, in the second half of last year, just kept improving and kept getting better,’’ said Rivers. ‘‘I’ve read and heard all the talk about ‘is he ready?’ Well, he has an opportunity to show everyone he is.’’
But, how does Rondo feel about this season. Does he have the confidence to run a team of future Hall of Famers? On his relationship with Ray Allen and the help that Ray has been giving him.
‘‘He’s like a big brother to me now,’’ said Rondo. ‘‘It’s only been a short time since I’ve known him, but it seems like I’ve learned so much. ‘‘His worth ethic, that’s what I’ve been picking up - keeping a routine every day, a lot of little things off the court to make me more of a man, and how to handle business off the court. ‘‘He was showing me how to use my legs on my shot. My legs were getting tired at first, but you condition them and you start to play focused, and in the fourth quarter, you’ll still be able to jump with your shot.’’
And on the encouragement from his new teammates:
“Kev’s been telling me that good stuff, and that’s important,” Rondo said. “It’s great that he has that type of confidence in me. And Ray’s been telling me to stay positive and that he thinks I’m an excellent player. Things like that can only help. Those guys are helping me feel comfortable, and that’s key at this stage for me.”
Is he ready to lead this team?
‘‘I believe I can do my part,’’ Rondo said. ‘‘Hard work pays off. I’ve been in the gym doing it every day. I have no choice. I have to be ready.’’
Some of the questions about the PG position going into camp are being answered. From all indications, the team is in good hands.
