mobile app bar

“Prime Derrick Rose was too explosive”: When Rajon Rondo expressed his admiration for youngest MVP in NBA history on All The Smoke

Raahib Singh
Published

"Prime Derrick Rose was too explosive": When Rajon Rondo expressed his admiration for youngest MVP in NBA history on All The Smoke

Former Lakers guard Rajon Rondo compliments Derrick Rose, says prime Rose does not compare to any other player he’s faced.

Rajon Rondo was an important part of the 2019-20 Lakers team that won the Championship in the Orlando bubble. However, due to a difference in opinion about his contract demands, the Lakers traded Rondo to the Atlanta Hawks. Rondo is yet to suit up for the Hawks though, as he had attended a funeral, and would be out due to the league’s Covid protocols.

Also Read: “What is LeBron James smoking?”: Fans troll Lakers star for weird ‘I’ll go home and be double fisted’ statement on missing free throws

He was recently on the ‘All the Smoke’ podcast with Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes. On the podcast, Matt Barnes asked whether prime Derrick Rose compares to any of the other players he has faced off against. To answer that, Rondo said, “No man, nobody.”

Rajon Rondo calls prime Derrick Rose ‘too explosive’

Derrick Rose was drafted by the Chicago Bulls back in 2008. In his very first season, Rose took the league by a storm. In his very first season, the Bulls went to the playoffs and faced the Celtics in their first playoff round series. It was a hard-fought battle, which the Celtics won eventually 4-3.

Rajon Rondo was on the Celtics back then and had won All-NBA defensive second-team honors. When asked to describe what that 7 game series was like, Rondo said, “Seven-game series when he was out there? Boy, he put your (expletive) in trouble. You’re on your heels the whole game.”

Also Read: ‘It’s probably a Guinness world record’: Warriors coach Steve Kerr was in disbelief as Steph Curry hit 105 straight corner 3-pointers in practice

Derrick Rose averaged 19.7 points and 6.4 assists in the series and had a huge 36-point showing in the first game. That performance ties Lew Alcindor’s 39-year-old record for most points by a rookie in his first playoff game.

Rondo said Rose is still out here being explosive while hooping.

“And he still getting in there and jumping over everybody,” Rondo said. “He was too explosive. He was for sure a one-man fast break every night.”

The whole episode can be heard here:

Rose has recently been traded to the New York Knicks, where he’s building relationships with the likes of Immanuel Quickley fast.

About the author

Raahib Singh

Raahib Singh

x-iconlinkedin-icon

Raahib Singh is an NBA Journalist and Content Strategist at The SportsRush. A Computer Science Engineer by qualification, Raahib's passion for sports drew him towards TSR. He started playing basketball at 14 and has been following the NBA since 2013. His entry into the basketball world perfectly coincided with Stephen Curry putting the league on notice. Having followed the league for a long time, he decided to use his knowledge to become a sportswriter with The SportsRush in 2020. Raahib loves to put up some shots in his spare time, watch Cricket, Formula 1, and/or read a nice thriller.

Share this article