“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.

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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.”

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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.