Atlanta Hawks: Assessing Rajon Rondo’s first action

Rajon Rondo took the floor for the Atlanta Hawks for the first time last night; here are somethings we can take away from his first game of this season.

The Atlanta Hawks took a pretty tough loss to the Memphis Grizzlies last night in their third preseason game. The Grizzlies shot the ball ridiculously well, as they always seem to do against the Hawks, and handed them a 128-106 thrashing in FedEx Forum. There weren’t a ton of positives to take away from the game, other than the fact that De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish both look like they’re trending upward.

While we still haven’t gotten a look at Kris Dunn, Onyeka Okongwu, or Tony Snell, new Atlanta Hawks point guard Rajon Rondo made his first appearance this preseason. There’s still a lot left to be determined about the Hawks’ rotation, but the Hawks are deeper at the point guard position than they’ve been in recent memory. There are currently 5 point guards on the roster–Trae Young, Rajon Rondo, Kris Dunn, Brandon Goodwin, and new draftee Skylar Mays. We’re still not sure how Dunn fits in the rotation, but we did get a look at Rajon Rondo in an Atlanta Hawks uniform for the first time.

The two-time NBA champion was brought to Atlanta to provide mentorship and veteran leadership for Trae Young and this new Atlanta Hawks roster. In 19 minutes, Rajon Rondo went 1 for 4 from the field for 3 points, grabbed 3 rebounds, dished out 7 assists, and had 1 block. He came off the bench to run the Hawks’ second unit after they toyed with a no point guard lineup. Though Rondo didn’t shoot the ball particularly well and hasn’t really been known to do so, he did show flashes of his specialties, leadership, and the ability to make the right passes.

A noteworthy takeaway was Rajon Rondo’s connection with Atlanta Hawks’ Center Clint Capela. Of the 7 assists Rajon Rondo notched on the night, 4 of them were to Capela. It’ll be interesting to see how many minutes the two get to spend on the floor together with Rondo coming off of the bench.

The Hawks’ second unit could also prove to be much stronger than the first on the defensive end. Rajon Rondo has been known as a defensive stopper throughout his years in the league, especially during his championship run with the Boston Celtics. If Rondo shares the floor with the likes of Cam Reddish, who has also come off the bench this preseason, Kris Dunn and Onyeka Okongwu who have not yet played, fans should be excited about the potential mayhem the Hawks bench could cause.

Rajon Rondo should prove to be a major key in the Hawks’ success this season, especially if they should make the playoffs as their new roster suggests they’re hoping to do.