It’s not a secret that Rajon Rondo is a fierce competitor, up to the point where he can be petty. I mean, he actually embraces that part of his personality, and that’s one of the reasons why he’s such a controversial figure.
That’s why it wasn’t a surprise to see that the latest addition to the Los Angeles Clippers refused to address Chris Paul and call him by his name. When discussing one of the Phoenix Suns’ plays, he just simply referred to Paul as ‘Number 3’.
“Number 3 called it out,” Rondo said, according to Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.
Rajon Rondo was asked about calling out a play of the Suns late in the game. Rondo says ‘Number 3 called it out,’ referring to Chris Paul. He only called him No. 3.
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) April 9, 2021
Rondo and Paul have never exactly been friendly to each other. Just a couple of years ago, when the Rondo played for the Los Angeles Lakers and the latter for the Houston Rockets, they even traded punches at the STAPLES Center, with Rondo later saying that Paul was a dirty player and a bad teammate.
Then again, besides his antics, Rondo is also one of the smartest and savviest players to ever make it to the league. That’s why Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers believes that he can give them a huge edge with his basketball IQ and ability to break down plays in real-time:
“If he’s able to see it when they’re dribbling up the floor… it just gives us that extra step to be in front of the play,” Leonard said, as quoted by Bleacher Report’s Farbod Esnaashari.
Kawhi Leonard on Rondo being able to read the opponent's plays: "If he's able to see it when they're dribbling up the floor…it just gives us that extra step to be in front of the play."
— Farbod Esnaashari (@Farbod_E) April 9, 2021
The Clippers were craving a pure playmaker and a floor general for a couple of years and now they have exactly what they needed. Even if he likes to play the villain.
