A four-time All-Star, two-time assist title-holder and 2008 NBA champion with the Boston Celtics, Rajon Rondo’s extensive, accolade-rich résumé speaks for itself.

An offensive maestro with the ball in his hands and one of the top facilitators in League history, the Kentucky product holds the fourth-highest assist percentage (41.06) and 11th-best assists-per-game average (8.3) of all time – ahead of Hall of Famers Bob Cousy, Tiny Archibald and Gary Payton – according to basketball-reference.com.

Since the start of the 2008-09 season, the 6-foot-1 guard is tied with LeBron James for most regular-season triple-doubles (22), while his 10 career Playoff triple-double ties him for fourth on the all-time League annals. In Game 2 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals, Rondo nearly single-handedly toppled the eventual champion Miami Heat – pouring in a career-high 44 points along with 10 assists, eight rebounds and three steals – less than three months after joining Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson as the third player ever to log at least 18 points, 17 rebounds and 20 assists in a single contest.

Rondo – who averaged 8.9 points, 7.9 assists and 5.5 rebounds with the Celtics and Mavericks in 2014-15, recording the highest three-point percentage of his career during his 46-game Dallas stint (35.2) –should flourish in Kings Head Coach George Karl’s fast-paced, dribble-drive-motion offense. The pass-first floor general – who compiled a 37-game double-digit assist steak in 2012 – will provide a critical boost to a team that ranked 26th in the category (20.3 per game) and 29th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.30) last season.

Utilizing his creativity in pick-and-roll situations, swift dribble penetration and unparalleled court vision, the shrewd playmaker will be able to generate open, long-range looks for floor-spacers Ben McLemore, Marco Belinelli and Omri Casspi, find cutters for easy looks at the basket and locate All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins in prime post position.

In addition to his impressive offensive repertoire, the 29-year-old has long been a strong, intelligent defender, capable of matching up with the game's best backcourt scorers and possessing a knack for coming up with timely swipes and deflections. The ball-hawking guard – a four-time All-Defensive Team selection – led the League in steals in 2009-10 (2.3 per game) and ranked in the top-10 on three other occasions, further benefiting a Kings defense that ranked in the bottom-five in steals (6.7) and points allowed (105.0) in 2014-15.



2015/16 A photo posted by Rudy Gay (@rudygay8) on Jul 3, 2015 at 4:19pm PDT

Rondo’s close friendship with Rudy Gay and ties to fellow Wildcats alum Cousins – who recently called him the best point guard in the League – should allow the two-way star to make a seamless transition to The River City, where he’ll deliver both offensive firepower and defensive toughness to an overhauled backcourt rotation.