The LA Clippers defeated the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday afternoon, winning the series of the season and the tiebreaker in the standings. Sunday’s game also marked the first game of Rajon Rondo’s career with the Clippers.
Rondo was acquired through a negotiation with the Atlanta Hawks on the day of the negotiation deadline in a deal for Lou Williams. After dealing with an adductor injury last week, Rondo finally made his debut on Sunday against the team with which he won an NBA championship last season.
“Just trying to fit in and get your time,” said Tyronn Lue of his first impressions of Rajon Rondo with the Clippers. “A little rusty, it had some upsets at the beginning, but you can tell, its pace brings something different to our team. And offensively, when he gets an exit, close to the half-court, before the first pass is made, it generates rhythm for us, and we need it. It will be good for us in the long run, it is good to see you out there, just trying to get used to what we are trying to do. “
He played only 13 minutes, but his role during those minutes was clear: to speed up the pace and help create opportunities for others.
“[My job is] just trying to put the ball in much easier points for our two main guys, since they had to work so hard to catch the ball against a definite defense, ” Rajon Rondo said after your first game. “If we can make stops and go out at halftime, my job is to go forward, pass the ball and let these guys attack one by one before the defense is defined.”
Rajon Rondo brings mental toughness and game creation to a team of Clippers who didn’t really have that before the deal. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were the main game creators, but the front line wanted to give them more opportunities to end plays, rather than always starting them.
It has only been a week for Rondo with his new team, so it is still unclear to him what he lacked last season that he can bring.
“I can’t dissect it so quickly,” explained Rondo. “Obviously, I want to be around and continue to learn from my teammates, to learn what the coach asks of us as players. I can’t really say exactly, point out something that needs to be done here. As I said, I want to come here to help this team as much as possible. Lead in every possible way and, obviously, we have a common goal. “
“It is still not very agitated. We are not playing at the same time. I had to laugh at myself because I have someone on the same team who will talk as much or even more rubbish. I’m looking forward to getting there and competing with him.”
Rajon Rondo in Patrick Beverley. pic.twitter.com/RTt9HiLFpJ
– Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) April 4, 2021
One person Rajon Rondo doesn’t need to acclimate to is coach Tyronn Lue. Lue and Rondo had been together in Boston for a few years, and Doc Rivers went so far as to say that the new Clippers coach earned the nickname ‘Rondo Whisperer’ because of how close he grew up to Rondo.
The 14-year-old NBA veteran doesn’t expect it to be hard to get back on track with Ty Lue.
“Playing for Lue was easy,” Rondo smiled. “It’s been fun. He didn’t yell at me, obviously, we won the game today. But like I said, we had a long time relationship, more than a decade of friendship going into this season, half of the season. But coming back to playing in LA, I think the last time I played was in LA for the Hawks, so it wasn’t a big deal.
“Like I said, playing against ex-teammates. I wanted to help the coaches yesterday, as much as the scouting report and understanding of the game plan. But in the end, it’s basketball and it’s a different season. A different locker room in which I am now, and I look forward to learning as much as possible, as soon as possible with my new team. “
When it comes to learning the manual and acclimating to the Clippers’ system in the middle of the season, Rondo says it’s a work in progress.
“It hasn’t been very epic. You know, I spent many hours on the court, playing with Chauncey. With Coach Lue too, Coach Drew, just trying to catch up with the manual. But most of the time, I was in the training room a lot. Training room, weight room. So, it’s been a balance. Spend as much time as possible at the gym. We test seven times a day, so we have no choice but to be at the gym. So, as I said, just trying to share it in many different ways: body, central and mental focus as well. “
The Clippers have four more games left in this nine-game house, and they hope this will help Rondo build chemistry and consistently with his new team.
