On Friday, Rajon Rondo was cleared to resume full-contact practice for the first time since tearing his ACL last season. Although no date has been set as to when Rondo will return to game-action, this is certainly great news for the Celtics.
Asked about Rondo’s first practice, starting power forward Brandon Bass replied, “He looked solid.”
The players on the Celtics roster have clearly been waiting for the return of their all-star point guard. Outside of rookie Phil Pressey, Rajon Rondo is the only true point guard on the Celtics roster, and he will be very helpful for a Boston team hoping to shock the world and come out on top in the Atlantic Division. Sitting at a mediocre 11-14, the Celtics lead a surprisingly weak Atlantic Division. Many expected the Nets to come out on top of the division with the help of former-Celtics Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce or the Carmelo Anthony led Knicks to lead the division. Instead, the Celtics hold a small lead, but if Rondo can return to the court, the Celtics chances look a whole lot better.
Lets not get ahead of ourselves just yet. When asked about Rondo’s return to the court, head coach Brad Stevens said, “He won’t play in games, is what I’ve been told, until after the first of the year.”
In the mean time, Stevens’ focus is on the Celtics current roster and continuing to win games with who he has, not on getting Rondo back into the lineup. “My focus is on what we can do on Monday (against Minnesota),” said Stevens. “Certainly, you’re thinking about how you’re going to, not only get him into it, ease him into it, but how you’re going to manage everything around that. Because there’s a lot of good players that are playing at a high level, and the key is to continue those guys playing really well and add in another very good player.”
Whenever Rondo returns to the court for Boston, there is no question he will provide an instant spark for the already driven Celtics squad.