November 1, 2010 – Allen Moll

Maybe Rajon Rondo was making a statement to the league for no longer allowing him to wear his upside down NBA logo-ed headband. Maybe Rajon was a little miffed at not making the USA Basketball squad this Summer (even though he withdrew himself rather than be cut), or maybe the 5th year player out of the University of Kentucky is finally coming of age as arguably the best player on an aging Celtics squad and a Top 5 NBA floor general? Yeah, I said it, but can anyone argue that Garnett, Allen, Shaq, or even Paul Pierce are better current players than Rondo?

On a night where little Rondo was honored for being recognized as an NBA All 1st Team Defender last season, he went off on the offensive end to the tune of:

10 points, 10 rebounds, and 24 assists

When looking at the eye-popping numbers from Rondo’s historic night against Boston’s hated rival New York Knicks, one has to wonder if this was one of those performances that are not only establishes personal bests for the player, but was this a game for the NBA record books? Although he fell 6 dimes short of equalling current Milwaukee Bucks coach Scott Skiles’ 30 assist single game mark, Rondo’s outstanding effort did tie or set a number of season and all-time marks.

1) Rondo Joined Isaiah Thomas as the only other player in NBA history to drop 24 assists in addition to having a triple double.

To be mentioned in the same breath as “Zeke”, one of the league’s best all-time point guards, in any capacity(except as an NBA General Manager) is great praise. The triple-double effort was Rondo’s 5th career trifecta, and first of hopefully many for Boston this season. What many fans fail to realize is that in pulling off a triple-double as a point guard, the hardest stat to compile is rebounds. Rondo is one of the best rebounders at his position in all the league and is pulling down an impressive 6.3 rebs/game this season and 4.4 rebs for his career.

2) Rondo’s 24 assists in a single game ranks 2nd all-time in Celtic record books behind Bob Cousy’s 28 dimes dropped in 1959.

Rajon is well on his way to etching a spot in Celtics lore as one of the team’s best all-time point guards. The great Bob Cousy, who won 6 titles with Boston and led the league 8 times in dropping dimes, has to rank as #1, with Jo Jo White, Dennis Johnson, and Nate “Tiny” Archibald in tow. Rondo has already obliterated Cousy’s Celtics’ single season assist total mark by nearly 80 assists last season and is arguably already mentioned in their Top 5. At only age 24, Rondo should continue his assault on not only the Celtics, but the NBA record books as well.

3) Rajon tied Guy Rodgers to rank as only the 2nd and 3rd players ever to dish out 24 assists against the Knicks, falling just short of John Stockton’s record 27 assists vs. NY back in 1989.

Rondo once again is being mentioned in the same breath as NBA point guard royalty when coming close to a mark held by John Stockton, who was statistically the league’s best all-time point guard. Surely one could argue that it’s not hard getting up for a rivalry game against New York, but Rondo has proven to have the skills to be an elite point guard day-in and day-out. Look no further than his 17 dime effort against Miami on opening night. Of course being guarded by Carlos Arroyo most of the night may have helped inflate those numbers.

4) Rondo tied John Stockton’s NBA record of tallying 50 assists through the first 3 games of the season.

Fifety assists in 3 games to begin the season. That sounds like a man on a mission. In fact it is only the 2nd time in league history, along with (there’s that name again) John Stockton nearly 20 seasons ago. Not even the great Magic Johnson tallied more than 46 assists through 3 games to begin the season. It’s getting to the point that Rajon’s 9 assists in his 2nd game against Cleveland is looked upon as a bad game, except for the fact that he scored 18 points and grabbed 3 steals to go along with those 9 dimes.

5) Rondo’s current 16.7 assist per game average leads the league and would blow away John Stockton’s single season record of 14.54 apg in ‘89-’90.

OK. I know the odds of Rajon Rondo averaging more than 16 assists per game for an entire season are miniscule, but let’s give the man his props for even reaching such heights when it comes to all time assists per game averages. The last 3 seasons Rondo has averaged 5.1, 8.2, and a career high 9.8 assists last season. Is it out of the question for him, following logical progression, to average 10+ per game and challenge for the league lead this season? I say no, considering the wealth of talent surrounding him. After all, what NBA floor general can boast of playing on a team with 4 sure-fire Hall of Fame players…….and don’t give me that Miami Heat nonsense? Mario Chalmers or Carlos Arroyo will not be averaging 10 or more assists combined playing alongside James, Wade, and Bosh.

The bottom line is that like him or not, Rajon Rondo is a superstar point guard, who ranks as a current Top 5 NBA floor general, and may one day be in the conversation with the all time greats at his position with the likes of Magic Johnson, John Stockton, and Isaiah Thomas.

Check out a video showcasing all 24 of Rondo’s record breaking assists:

Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen also provides content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.