LA Clippers: Rajon Rondo makes NBA History, gears up for playoffs

Rajon Rondo most certainly played a role in the LA Clippers‘ route over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night, but his performance also reflected on his contributions to NBA history.

Rondo passed Maurice Cheeks on the all-time NBA assist ladder for 14th all-time.

Rondo has the fourth-most assists all-time out of current NBA players, and continuing to move up the all-time rankings only solidifies his case for the Hall of Fame. Currently, Rondo has a 60.56% “Hall of Fame Probability” according to Basketball Reference.

Rondo, averaging 7.4 points per game and 5.4 assists per game in his time with the Clippers this year has been productive in his 19.9 minutes per contest. He’s shooting 40.5% from three since he was traded to the Clips, which is actually higher than any season high that he’s ever had.

Seeing him playing quality basketball is incredibly refreshing when considering the postseason being just around the corner, and remembering that the postseason is a major factor in why Rondo has that Hall of Fame case.

“Playoff Rondo” seems to turn it up every postseason, even in the later years of his career. Even while Rondo is past his prime, it’s not just the Boston years where he has shined under the brightest lights in the playoffs.

Just last year, Rondo went from averaging just five assists per game to 7+ in both the Western Conference Semis and the Western Conference Finals. He shot 44.4% from three in the Conference Semis and 45.5% from three in the Conference Finals, after shooting 32.8% from behind the arc in the regular season. Rondo was a key contributor to that NBA Finals run with the Lakers at both ends of the floor, averaging 1.4 steals per playoff game compared to his 0.8 steals per game during the regular season.

It was reminiscent of another more recent playoff run from Rondo in 2018, where he turned back the clock and looked great in that postseason too.

The point guard went from putting up 8.3 points per game to 11.3 in the first round of the postseason, and dished out 13.3 assists per game in the round. He was averaging 8.2 assists per game during the regular season.

Rondo wasn’t the most active rebounder during that year (four rebounds per game), but averaged at least 7.5 boards per contest in both the first two rounds of the playoffs.

He was so much more efficient shooting the basketball in the playoffs that year too, elevating his three-point percentage to 42.9% in the first round, and 41.7% in the second round after only shooting 33.3% from deep during the regular season.

This year, Rondo will have a chance to go a bit deeper than the New Orleans Pelicans were able to go that year, with a much better overall roster around him in Los Angeles.

Wherever Rondo goes, he delivers in the postseason. Seeing him eclipse yet another milestone on the all-time assists ranks serves as a great reminder of the type of player Rondo is in general, but in the postseason in particular.