On Jan. 3, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks finalized a deal that would send Denzel Valentine to the Knicks and Rajon Rondo to the Cavaliers.
The Cavs desperately needed guard depth they were looking for, with both Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio missing the rest of the season due to injury. Rondo offers some relief in that department, as he plays the point guard position.
Rondo has had a long career filled with ups and downs, having played for the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans, Lakers, Atlanta Hawks, LA Clippers, and now, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Rajon Rondo was a key part of the 2007-08 Boston Celtics team, starting at point guard, and went on to help defeat the Lakers in the NBA Finals during that season.
A four-time All-Star and two-time champion, Rondo has had enjoyed success throughout much of his NBA career, contributing heavily to every team he has been a part of.
The 35-year-old point guard is in the midst of the worst season of his career, only averaging 3.5 points per game and 3.7 assists per game. These numbers pale in comparison to his career averages of 9.8 points and 8 assists per game.
Still, Rondo can add years of valuable experience to any team seeking his services, often seeing an improvement while he plays there. Along those lines, Cleveland is a young team with plenty of gaps yet to be filled, and Rondo is definitely a step in the right direction, having been a part of numerous teams that contended for a title throughout his career.
Let’s take a look at the biggest ways Rajon Rondo can help lead the Cavaliers to success, with three key areas, in particular, that come to mind.
#1: Rondo has long been considered one of the premier playmakers in the NBA
Many of the Cavaliers issues have been focused on the offensive end of the ball; however, Rondo can help the Cavs young core learn the value of ball movement and moving without the ball. This could lead the team to become a more consistent offense.
Rondo’s high basketball IQ and playmaking ability can help locate open teammates more often, leading to a more fluid offense with more confident players than before. Confidence leads to better performance in most cases. Granted, the Cavs have moved it really well this season in general, but without Rubio, Rondo can help continue that trend from Cleveland, in relation to playmaking depth behind Darius Garland.
The playmaking of Rondo will also open up the floor a little more for players like Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley who will both be more dangerous as lob threats with a point guard who passes like Rondo does.
Three-point shooters will also get more opportunities as Rondo often takes a good screen and uses it to get to the basket for a wraparound pass to an open shooter, one of his most commonly used moves.
Moves like that one, as well as others Rondo has in his arsenal, will lead to more three-point shooters on the roster being open in the corner with the ball in their hands.
#2: Rondo has often been a high tier defender in the NBA
During his career, Rondo has consistently been praised for his defensive prowess, reaching the All-Defensive team on four occasions. He was being referred to as one of the best perimeter defenders of his time, during his prime.
Rondo may no longer be the on-ball defender that he once was for the Celtics, but he still has the tenacity and the IQ to make a difference when his assignment does not have the ball.
He has shown the ability, especially last season, to read passes before they happen and catch them before they get to their intended target. Often times this leads to a full court pass, which ends up as an assist.
The Cavaliers already have one of the best defenses in the NBA, also, ranking third behind the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors in defensive rating, and Rondo can still aid them in the team sense. Rondo can help improve it further by playing elite off-ball defense in his reserve stretches, and he can still make a difference when he is defending the ball-handler.
This season, Rajon Rondo is averaging 0.7 steals and 0.3 blocks per game in only 16.1 minutes played. Clearly, he is still effective on that end of the floor, as much of his defensive impact does not show up in the stat sheet like it once did.
#3: Rondo has become one of the best locker room leaders in the NBA
Throughout his career, Rondo has played with some of the greatest to ever play the game. Names such as, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the list goes on.
Through these experiences Rondo has learned a lot on how to be a leader for a team looking to contend. Helping the sixth-seeded Pelicans upset the Portland Trail Blazers back in 2018 comes to mind.
Even more recently, Rondo contributed to the aforementioned Lakers’ most recent title run, assisting the team in winning their first title since the 2009-10 season, and he was a key part of last season’s Clippers team that made it to the second round of the playoffs.
Rondo could teach the young core what it takes to win games, guiding them in how to move without the ball, how to play better defense away from the ball-handler, and where to be at the right time.
He can make an especially large impact on young point guard Darius Garland, being able to teach him how to read the defense at a higher level, leading to better playmaking from the backcourt of the team.
Rondo may no longer be the All-Star-caliber player that he was in Boston, but he is still more than capable of making a difference for a team, as he did in Cleveland’s win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, albeit with them shorthanded.
He will be able to make an impact for the Cavs, and if the buy-in holds, maybe for not just this season. We’ll have to see in that regard from Rondo, who turns 36 in February.