標籤: Rondo

Jaylen Brown has expanded his game out of necessity this season, as it was his first season as the undisputed number one option for the Boston Celtics amid Jayson Tatum’s lengthy absence due to an Achilles tendon rupture. Brown has responded with his best season as a professional, and even after Tatum’s return, he remains the foundation and cornerstone of the Celtics, the guy they rely on to take them home on a nightly basis.

On Thursday night, Brown certainly did his part in putting the Celtics in position to win. He answered his team’s call amid the absence of Tatum and Derrick White in a heated battle against the Oklahoma City Thunder, scoring 34 points, six rebounds and seven assists. While a late-game call that went against the Celtics ultimately cost them a 104-102 loss, it shouldn’t take away from Brown’s efforts.

In fact, Brown has become so dangerous as a playmaker that he has become the first Celtics player since Rajon Rondo in 2014 to record at least seven assists in seven consecutive games, as reported by Taylor Snow of Celtics Stats.

Considering how Rondo is one of the best playmakers in Celtics franchise history, being mentioned in the same sentence as a passer is no mean feat for Brown.

Jaylen Brown has become more than a scorer for the Celtics

Over the years, questions have been raised about Brown’s dribbling and playmaking. The Celtics star has faced criticism for not being able to dribble safely with his left hand and passing has never been one of the biggest strengths of his game.

But being the team’s top dog for most of the season, Brown has had to make the most of the defensive attention he gets on a nightly basis. And he is passing that exam with good marks.

It is a well-known fact that NBA legends Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo have a long-standing rivalry that dates back to the late 2000s, which ultimately resulted in controversy in 2018 when the two played for the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers respectively.

However, sport knows sport, and Paul quickly put aside this long-standing feud when asked about the NBA players with the best attitude on the court.

“When you even say court vision. Rondo, I would say Rondo. Rondo got one of the worst passes ever when he threw a behind-the-back pass into the corner,” Paul said during his appearance on the In Brooklyn podcast at 7 p.m. CP13 just debuted and went into detail about what really set the Rondo apart.

“If you watch sports over the years. You’ll watch teams over the years, you’ll see teams get rebounds, and you can see me being like, ‘Yo, yo, yo, let me get it.’ Rondo was the same way, right. Like, let me get the ball, let me get the ball. It’s because everyone’s like, ‘Oh, he’s got to have the ball.’ It’s like, no. We all have a job to do, I know who I am. I’m not a finisher,” he said.

Some would say similar things about Chris Paul, though the point guard could also score at will during his long time in the league. Nonetheless, both Paul and Rondo fall into the category of truly intelligent players who can control a game on their own regardless of their competition.

Rondo’s exclusion from the 2008 Olympics “Redeem Team” roster, which also included Paul, was seen as an early flashpoint. On the court, the rivalry escalated when Rondo reportedly reminded Paul of Boston’s championship lead during a heated 2009 argument.

However, the largest incident occurred during the 2018 Lakers-Rockets brawl, when a heated exchange turned into a physical fight that involved punches and multiple players.

Of course, Paul’s latest comments indicate that regardless of the incidents, there is immense respect between the two former superstars.