Doc Rivers hails Rajon Rondo as the leader of Boston Celtics – NBA Update
Gone are the days when Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce were seen as the pillar of the Boston Celtics franchise.
Ray Allen said good-bye to the team this summer and joined the defending champions Miami Heat; however, perhaps, the act of passing the torch had already taken place. Allen struggled to remain fit and play at an optimum level last
season and that led Doc Rivers to rely on Rajon rondo as the main ball distributor. Although Kevin Garnett, at 37, still continues to amaze, old legs also seem to be catching up with Paul Pierce, and that has made Rondo’s role all the more important.
In a recent interview to ESPNBoston, Rivers acknowledged that the point guard is the one who will shape the Celtics future and asserted that Rondo is ready to accept the leadership role.
“Rondo has been great, just terrific this summer,” Rivers said. “He reached out to all the players and got every single one of them to fly to L.A. and practice together. They put in about four or five hours a day. Paul and KG were
already out there, but Rondo got Jason and Courtney Lee and all the other guys on board too.”
“He called and asked me what I thought of the idea. I loved it, especially because it was him that organized it.”
The Celtics head into the coming season with a relatively new line up and having those extra practices under the belt can provide them with a better chance to start the season successfully. After the departure of Allen, the C’s
added Jason Terry and Courtney Lee to shore up the two-guard position. They also have two good rookies in Fab Melo and Jared Sullinger, and all Rivers and the coaching staff needs to do is to establish a god chemistry among these players and mould them according
to the Celtics system. Rondo is doing his bit to help Rivers.
However, the best part about these practices is that it is good to see Rondo stepping into the role of a leader which is not only beneficial for the current Celtics roster but for the time when Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are
not around to take care of business.
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