Boston Celtics Must Not Put too Much Pressure on Rajon Rondo

There’s no questioning Rondo’s abilities. He’s one of the league’s best ball-handlers and passers, he thrives in transition, breaks down defenses in his sleep and he’s extremely deft at clogging the passing lanes. But this is a new role for him. He’s always been a leader in some capacity, a silent but deadly one, if you will.

Yet this is different. This time around, Rondo is expected to be a vocal pillar, one that not only directs his teammates on offense, but off the court, in the locker room. Simply put, he’s being asked to lead a championship cause both statistically, and emotionally, the latter of which is far from easy to do. Especially in a tumultuous market like Boston.

But Rondo’s ready, right? Ray Allen is gone and he has the support of his current teammates, so there shouldn’t be any issues, correct?

No, there shouldn’t be. And truth be told, Rondo is at a point in his career, as he enters his seventh season, where he should be expected to be a leader.

But I reiterate, the Celtics cannot push Rondo too far, cannot lean on him too hard, cannot expect too much from him too soon. This is a role they’ve been preparing him for, a role they’ve tried to get him to assume on countless occasions in the past. Rondo just wasn’t ready, though. For whatever the reason, he just wasn’t ready for Boston to be his team. And even long-time teammate Paul Pierce admits that.

From Jackie MacMullan of ESPNBoston.com:

“Two years ago I think they wanted him to be one thing,” Paul Pierce said. “But he was still learning. They were saying, ‘It’s Rondo’s team,’ but he wasn’t to the point where he was that constant presence.

“They put him in a role he wasn’t ready for yet.”

Now it’s more than possible, as MacMullan goes onto note, that Rondo was simply being thrust into a role that the elder statesmen on the roster weren’t ready to relinquish. However, there’s also a strong possibility he simply wasn’t ready for, wasn’t mature enough to carry the weight of an entire team’s aspirations on his shoulder.

But now he is, or rather, he has to be. For the first time, no one is questioning whose team this is. It’s Rondo’s, free and clear. Like it or not, though, he’s always had something to fall back on should plans go awry. He was never expected to do as much, expected to mean as much to this team as he will be this season.

And succeeding under little to no expectations is much different from thriving with the weight of the world on your shoulders.

So, yes, the Celtics are Rondo’s team, and rightfully so. But his team, the very entity that has transitioned him into this prominent role ever so slowly, must be careful not to put too much pressure on him, at least right now. Rondo is still feeling out the leadership role.

And while all indications are that he’ll succeed, and ensure the Celtics remain viable contenders, proceeding with caution is still in his and the team’s best interests.

Lest both parties find out Rond still isn’t “ready.”