During his time in the NBA, Rajon Rondo earned four All-Star appearances, four spots on the All-Defensive team, and two NBA championships.
He did this not only by being an amazing player but by also understanding his competition.
For Rondo, that meant outsmarting opponents on the court and those on the sidelines too.
Sitting down with JJ Redick on “The Old Man & The Three” podcast, Rondo spoke about how he and LeBron James chose to play against coaches instead of teams.
Talking about the 2020 NBA Finals, Rondo said that he and James made a deal: if the Los Angeles Lakers faced the Miami Heat, James would focus on outplaying head coach Erik Spoelstra and his plans.
If they instead had to go toe-to-toe with the Boston Celtics, Rondo would be in charge of figuring out head coach Brad Stevens.
“If we get Miami, I got Spo. And if we get Boston, you’ve got Brad,” Rondo said, quoting James.
.@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
In the end, of course, the Lakers had to play against the Heat.
They won the championship that year, despite the best efforts of Spoelstra and his squad.
The approach that Rondo and James had to this competition shows the power of an NBA coach.
They are an incredibly important part of a team’s success or failure.
And if players can figure out a way to outplay the coaches, they can easily outplay the team as well.
This is the sort of insight and intelligence that comes with years of experience.
It’s one of the reasons why Rondo was such a valued veteran during his last few years in the league.
He uses both his body and his brain to take down the competition.
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