Despite the Celtics falling to the Lakers last night, there was a bright spot on the floor. Rajon Rondo made his return after going down in January of last season with a torn ACL. In his 19 minutes, Rondo appeared to look just as fast and agile as Celtics fans are used to seeing the star point guard.
Putting the 107-104 loss to rival Lakers aside, the return of Rondo means a whole lot of good for the Celtics in a number of ways.
The statistics speak for themselves. The Celtics are ranked 26th in the league in points per game and are ranked 28th in the league in assists per game. Rondo will be able to help the Celtics in both of these categories.
Rondo will help everyone on the team offensively, but his impact will likely benefit certain players more than others. Jeff Green has been inconsistent all season, but with Rondo back, Green should be able to play off the ball more and get better looks as a result.
Putting the numbers aside for a moment, Rondo brings an intensity and drive to a Celtics team that desperately needs both. This young roster will benefit greatly from being on the floor with Rondo.
As surprising as it may be, Rondo is one of the veterans on this roster, and the only one on the team who was a member of a championship team. Rondo has been noted by many of his teammates as being the leader of the Celtics, even while rehabbing his ACL injury.
The Celtics have now lost 11 of their last 12 and were on a nine game losing streak from December 31st to January 13th. There weren’t any real expectations for this team coming into the season, especially without Rondo to start the year.
However, with Rondo back the Celtics can now try to turn things around. The Celtics aren’t a legitimate playoff team with or without Rondo, but they’re going to be more competitive with Rondo back on the floor.
With Rondo back, the Celtics can now begin to build their chemistry for the future, if they plan to hold onto him. He and fellow guard Avery Bradley have the potential to become a very special backcourt, especially given the improvement of Bradley.
As with any player coming off an injury, it’s going to take some time for the Rondo to get acclimated with the team again. As a result of his playing style, however, Rondo should be able to get back to his old self quicker than the average player. Considering how abysmal the Eastern conference has been, who knows what could happen.
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