This Just In: Rondo's Back!

Okay. Okay.  This is not breaking news.  Rajon Rondo's already started in two games.  My apologies for not promptly blogging, but they don't pay me enough to blog to a deadline.  I did watch both games and do have my own observations about Rondo's play and effect on the team, which I'll share now.

Offense.  Rondo has had his share of offensive highlights we've come to expect from him, like slashing in for layups set up with his signature behind-the-back-pass ball fake and post-up moves against defending guards.  But Rondo's Achilles' heel continues to be his inability to knock down the mid-range jump shot, which he hasn't been hesitant to take in his first two games back.  Rondo shot 7 of 19 in two games with nearly all of those misses coming off of open mid-range jump shots.

Playmaking.   Rondo continues to be at his best in the open court.  He continues to make good decisions and great plays in transition.  In the Laker game, Rondo made a perfect bounce pass from mid court while on the run to a streaking Kris Humphries for a layup.  This young Celtic team, which has the ability to run up the court on every possession, should play to Rondo's strengths.  Rondo's not running with a team dominated by creaky veterans. 

Rondo is still figuring out how to best run this team in the half-court offense.  It was a lot simpler in the days of the Big Three when Rondo would simply give up the ball to Paul Pierce and let Pierce create his own shot.  This Celtics team doesn't have any players with Pierce's ability.  In his first two games back, Rondo's taken it upon himself to be the scorer at the end of games, which hasn't been a winning formula.

Leadership and Chemistry.  Rather than being aloof and sulky, Rondo has been very vocal with his teammates during team huddles and appears engaged with his teammates.  This was Kevin Garnett's job in the past and doesn't appear to be Rondo's nature to be a vocal leader.  Let's see whether this lasts.    A lot will depend on whether the Celtics win or lose.

It's not completely fair to judge a guy's performance after only two games after coming back from a very serious injury.  Rondo needs time to get up the game speed.  You just can't replicate playing in a real game in a practice scrimmage - and Rondo's been away for months.  And at the moment, Rondo's being limited to 20 minutes of play a game to allow him to get back into game shape without hurting himself. Rondo also has to get used to playing with a very different team than the one his played with for the past five years.  So wait for another report on Rondo several weeks from now to get a better gauge on Rondo's impact on the team.