When people talk about the Boston Celtics’ Big 3, most people focus on Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett.
And while those three were obviously the biggest stars on the team and posted the best numbers, overlooking Rajon Rondo’s influence should be a criminal offense.
Rondo may have a lot of detractors, but no one can deny that he’s one of the savviest, most intelligent players to ever lace them up, which is why he often made his teams so much better, especially in the playoffs.
In an interview with J.J. Redick for The Old Man & The Three, the two-time NBA champion revealed that his mindset was never to beat or outplay any other player.
.@RajonRondo is not playing against players in a game. He's trying to outplay the coaches.
Full episode with @jj_redick drops tomorrow: https://t.co/VljumD0zZF pic.twitter.com/TRTjVZllJj
— TheOldMan&TheThree (@OldManAndThree) August 29, 2023
Instead, he chose to pay attention to the coaches to try and get ahead of the curve and pick up their adjustments in real-time.
He even told the story of how he managed to outcoach Brad Stevens when he was playing for the Chicago Bulls, stating that he had picked up every single fourth-quarter play they were about to run.
Rondo was never the guy who chose to put up big numbers if that didn’t help the team.
He was one of the best playmakers and smartest guys on the court, a guy that could literally pick up a team’s plays in real-time.
Most Bulls fans believe that they would’ve beaten the Celtics in that playoff series if Rondo didn’t get hurt.
And judging by that story and how things turned out, they might be right.
NEXT: Paul Pierce Explains Why He Only Won 1 Title With Celtics Big 3
