Should Rajon Rondo go Rambo? 6 spots to build the playoff legend
Rajon Rondo in the Western Conference?
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers are in the same situation as they were last season. They’re in win-it-all-now mode and have a short window to do it. Maybe longer if you read some of the crazy projections that LeBron James will still be around in 2030, but that was suspect and intentionally misleading journalism published on some conspiracy-laden website, so let’s just stick with the facts: Rajon Rondo as Rambo building a Paul Bunyan-like legend by contracting his services to the highest bidder in a year-to-year sojourn across a fractured landscape of wannabe NBA dictators.
The Lakers won with the tested LBJ formula of a lot of vets on short-term deals. Looking at the Lakers projected salary cap implications for next season; the majority of the roster could remain intact and under the luxury tax if their optioned players choose in without significant raises, Anthony Davis gets a max contract and they keep their No. 28 draft pick. Rajon Rondo is one of those optioned players and he proved his worth, and earned a possible increase in salary for next season, by impacting the game on both ends without being a major scoring threat most nights.
He did show that old dogs can learn new tricks though, shooting 40 percent from 3 on 1.3 makes per game during the playoffs. He was particularly lethal from the wings where he was able to drift free from defenders after the initial action. Rondo also allows LeBron James to cede control of the offense for stretches both on and off the floor. The Lakers showed that they lacked a secondary play-maker when Rondo was injured and none of the players guaranteed to return provide the court-vision, experience or ability to run sustained offense like Rajon Rondo could.
Alex Caruso is the closest, as he runs point sometimes, but he is more a lock-down defender and glue guy, despite curating his own Hollywood legend through poster dunks and hustle plays. He is not the table-setter or leader that Rondo is and would not be a suitable replacement if Rajon Rondo moved elsewhere. The Lakers would still need a back-up point guard with similar traits if that happened.
Los Angeles Clippers
In this move, Rajon Rondo doesn’t have to go far to find a team that could use his services and one that is rumored to be interested as well. After collapsing out of the playoffs in team-imploding fashion, the Los Angeles Clippers are in need of a veteran leader who can command the respect of other veterans and not be shy to tell it like it is. Who better than a two-time champion point guard known for his focus on running the team, rather than hunting individual statistics, and one that is not afraid to speak his mind.
Kawhi Leonard specifically mentioned that he wants to play with an established point guard and judging by the success he had with the Toronto Raptors, Rajon Rondo could fit the bill. He plays a similar game to Kyle Lowry as a defensive and pass-first point that can hit open shots, drive the lane and be a vocal leader on the floor.
Rajon Rondo has also shown the ability to put aside differences with teammates or air them out to get on with it and be able to focus on larger goals. In his Boston era, he played on a team with outspoken veterans who didn’t necessarily like each other. Despite his youth at the time, he would not back down from the established stars, becoming the on-court leader for a team that was constructed to win a title, with all the pressure that adds, and did.
The dynamics with the Los Angeles Clippers are similar to that of those Boston teams and Kawhi and the Clips would hope Rajon Rondo could provide the same steadying influence, play-making and coordination that helped the Celtics win it all on the court without blowing up off of it. Not after just one season anyway.
Golden State Warriors
I’m tempted to just write: teammates Rajon Rondo and Draymond Green and leave it at that. In fact, there was a minor beef between them, the most unsurprising NBA statement ever written, during their playoff match-up in 2018 while Rondo was running the Pelicans. It was also during this series that Rajon Rondo did the best and most disgusting thing I have ever seen during a basketball game.
With the Warriors up 120-113 with 28 seconds left in the game, Rondo corralled the ball off a free throw from Draymond and while everyone else was pointing out strategies and barking instructions, Rajon proceeded to wipe the ball all over his face and neck with serious intent, to get some sweat on there before the next shot. The only one who noticed was the referee under the basket whose reaction to that incredibly foul, unnecessary and completely awesome act of basketball pettiness would probably be one for the ages.
For their parts, both Draymond and Rajon Rondo said after the game that they respected each other’s competitive fire and there was no bad blood between them on the court or off. Rondo just stated that Green “talks a lot of s**t” and the competitiveness in him can’t let that go. That’s why Rajon Rondo works anywhere really, but he’d fit in especially well with this team.
Steve Kerr doesn’t mind letting his guys be themselves but demands accountability which seems perfect for Rondo. The Warriors have two superstar veterans in Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, both coming off an injury, but with a roster and bench in flux, they would have to carry a lot of the load despite their readiness or rust. Add Rajon Rondo to the group, which currently only has Curry as a viable point guard, and he fills a need, but also allows the other guys to ease in with easy opportunities.
Rajon Rondo has proven to one of the best at setting up his teammates, and with Curry and Klay, he would have the most lethal shooting pair in NBA history. His ability to play and anticipate on defense would also help Golden State hide some of Curry’s liabilities on that end and Klay’s possible diminished value as an on-ball defender. Again though, Rondo and Draymond. Raj and Dray, ultimate frenemies and possible new podcast power duo for a condensed season full of intrigue after injuries and the insult of a 15-win campaign. What could be better?