“One Of The Smartest I Ever Played With”: Kevin Garnett Showers Rajon Rondo With Love

Kevin Garnett stumbled upon a six-week-old video of Rajon Rondo, explaining the benefits of watching film. For KG, it perfectly highlighted why he considers Rondo one of the smartest players he’s ever shared a locker room with.

“Salute to 9… one of the smartest I’ve ever played with

Can’t wait for channel 9.. mmmm @rajonrondo salute to u king,” Garnett captioned his Story, sharing the same reel.

KG praises Rondo on IG pic.twitter.com/vQiHsjYpo9

— tragicpatek (@tragicpatek) December 10, 2024

In the clip, Rondo explained how Doug Bibby introduced him to film. He admitted that watching film didn’t appeal to him at first. However, his perspective changed completely when he realized how it helped him identify his weaknesses.

“Film is the answer to the test. Once I was introduced to film in my freshman year in high school… I’m in this b***h like ‘man, hurry’… At first, I didn’t understand it and I see it now… Being able to watch myself and understand my mistakes and where my weaknesses are and how teams are gonna play me, I was able to learn,” Rondo told Jeff Teague.

 

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Studying game film became a key factor in unlocking Rondo’s full potential. It allowed him to consistently stay ahead of his opponents, anticipating their moves in advance. It also helped him develop a high basketball IQ, a trait that was essential for the Boston Celtics’ title-winning run in 2008.

Pierce recognized Rondo’s importance early on

The Boston Celtics were looking to trade Rajon Rondo during the 2007-08 season. The team believed that acquiring a more experienced point guard would benefit the team in their quest for a title. However, Rondo’s impressive performance during his rookie season led to Paul Pierce backing him.

“There was a lot of talks about maybe trading Rondo – that we need an older point guard. I was like ‘nah’. I saw his rookie year, I was like ‘this dude gonna be nice’. He showed me flashes his rookie year,” Pierce told Draymond Green.

Pierce gave credit to Rondo’s IQ and decision-making for the championship win.

“He actually the perfect guard for us because he’s a pass-first guard. I was rocking with him. He was picking up full court, he played deep and he always made the right decision. The IQ was off the charts,” Pierce concluded.

Listening to Pierce and retaining Rondo proved to be a pivotal decision for the front office. The floor general dished 6.6 assists per game in the 2008 playoffs, proving to be instrumental in the Celtics’ triumph.