Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau labels Rajon Rondo a great defence breaker – NBA News
When Tom Thibodeau says that a certain player is very good at breaking down defence, you have got to listen up and agree.
That is exactly what the Chicago Bulls coach did recently, when he was asked a question about Rondo and his performance in game.
Rondo was part of the Celtics team of 2008 which Thibodeau coached and hence he knows the point guard very well. On Thursday, Thibodeau was on the Dan Patrick show and had this to say about him:
“There’s really no defense for [Rondo]. He’s an offense unto himself. You can defend him perfectly, you can defend their team perfectly, and he’ll still find a way to create a good shot for somebody. He’s a great decision maker, he has great vision, he’s very smart, he knows how to read defenses, he knows what you’re trying to take away, he knows where the holes are, and he was in attack mode right from the start [in Game 3 against the Sixers].”
Thibodeau is one of the best defensive coaches of his generation. He was assistant coach of the Boston Celtics back in 2008. During that era, the Celtics had one of the most feared defenses in the league. Two years ago, Thibodeau was given the big break of being head coach of the Chicago Bulls and from there on, he never looked back leading the Bulls to back to back league best seasons and becoming the fastest coach in NBA history to win 100 games.
The Bulls were the best defensive team in the league this season. They had the most rebounds, and their centre was not Dwight Howard or Andrew Bynum, it was Joakim Noah. This is testament to the emphasis that Thibodeau places on defence and such is his influence that even average players start performing above their level.
Thibodeau’s mentor, Celtics head coach Doc Rivers however offered a different insight on the Celtics game-3 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, saying that the success of their offense was due to them passing the more into the paint and going for post ups and close range shots.
He also said that they played their game sets from early on instead of relying on Rondo to improvise on offense, which helped them on the offensive end.
Whichever way one looks at it, there is no denying that fact that Rondo’s presence of mind, and on court vision is unmatched and he really can break down the defense and make plays for his teammates.
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