Is Evan Mobley the best rookie Rajon Rondo has played with?

Rajon Rondo has been around the block in the NBA, playing for nine franchises across a 15-year career, from the Boston Celtics as a rookie to the Cleveland Cavaliers this past year. In that time he has played with a number of elite talents, from LeBron James to Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki to Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard to Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. He should have some ability to recognize talent when he sees it.

Rondo has a checkered track record when it comes to mentoring young players, but he clearly bought into his veteran role this season, coming in midway through the year to back up Darius Garland and serve as something of an older-brother to many of the young players on the team, including Rookie of the Year finalist Evan Mobley.

Rajon Rondo sang Evan Mobley’s praises after the season. Which rookies has Rondo played with and would Mobley be the best of the bunch?

When asked about Mobley after the season, Rondo was quick to sing his praises, highlighting his diverse skillset and how that might make Mobley the most talented rookie Rondo has ever played with.

That statement from Rondo certainly bears weight, and Mobley is unequivocally a talented young player. We can talk about how his talent and skill set combine to make him such an impactful player in the league right from the jump, but let’s do that elsewhere. For now let’s answer the question that has to be raised after Rondo’s comments: what other rookies has Rondo played with?

That long list of stars we opened the piece with is impressive, but Rondo didn’t play with any of them as rookies. Who did he play with? Honestly, the answer is “not that much” in terms of rookie performers.

Looking back at Rondo’s 16-year career, he never once played with a rookie who went on to make an All-Star Game. He played with a handful of rookies who went on to become solid starters: Dwight Powell, Kelly Olynyk, Avery Bradley and Glenn Davis (all with the Boston Celtics). Only Kelly Olynyk even made an All-Rookie Team, landing on the All-Rookie Second Team in 2013-14.

That makes it an easy call as to who the best rookie Rondo played with prior to Evan Mobley this season: Marcus Smart, who was a rookie in 2014-15 on the last Celtics team Rondo played for. Smart made the All-Rookie Second Team that season, and this year was named Defensive Player of the Year.

That’s it. Rajon Rondo has somehow avoided playing with any stars in their first seasons, from highly-drafted surefire stars to surprise stars taken later in the draft. Marcus Smart is a bulldog, a perennial All-Defense selection who has worked hard to improve both his shooting and his shot selection. He is a crucial part of a Boston Celtics team that is a legitimate threat to win the title this season.

He has also never been a Top-40 player in the NBA, and the rest of the above list has probably never been a Top-70 player. Rondo played only 156 possessions last season with Onyeka Okongwu on the Atlanta Hawks, but it’s very possible Okongwu develops into the second-best player Rondo ever played with as a rookie. Or maybe Austin Reaves becomes a star.

More likely, Evan Mobley will be the best rookie Rondo ever plays with, and it won’t even be close. Mobley was a deserving All-Defense player already as a rookie, and it looks like he will compete for All-Star berths and Defensive Player of the Year awards every year. He is on a superstar path, and Rondo cannot help but acknowledge that.

In the end, then, Rondo’s quote looks really good and doesn’t ultimately mean all that much. That doesn’t take away from how impressive Mobley has been, and he has at least one veteran point guard fully in awe of what he is doing in the league.