Rajon Rondo is well-respected among players in the league. Even players like LeBron James rave about Rondo’s basketball IQ and understanding of the game. But Jrue Holiday shared a story that shows even more so how smart Rondo was. Talking on Podcast P with Paul George, Jrue revealed that Rajon Rondo held practices as a coach during his time with the Pelicans, with no coaches involved.
Jrue Holiday Says Rondo Held Practices with the Pelicans
Rondo played for the New Orleans Pelicans during the 2017-18 season. That was probably Anthony Davis’ best year in a Pelicans uniform, one in which he finished third in MVP voting. The Pelicans finished the season with a 48-34 record as the sixth seed in the West. In the first round, they stunned the Portland Trail Blazers, beating them 4-0. Sadly, they ran into the Golden State Warriors and lost in the Conference Semifinals.
Jrue Holiday talked about how special that team was, with players like AD, Rondo, but also DeMarcus Cousins, Nikola Mirotic, E’Twaun Moore, and more role players. Sadly, Cousins got hurt and they never reached their potential.
Speaking about Rondo, Jrue said that Rondo acted as the coach and told them what to do as well as how to react during games. But it turns out, Rondo did even more coaching. Jrue said,
“Rondo just called like everybody into practice and no coaches could come and we ran through practice without coaches. Rondo ran the whole practice and put in the plays as he was playing. Bro did everything and I’m like I’ve never seen this before. No coaches out there, they were looking through the windows like through the coaches’ offices looking at us, and Rondo was running practice. His basketball IQ is amazing. If he ever becomes a coach, I’d love to see it.”
Rondo’s Reputation With Coaches
Rajon Rondo was one of the smartest players, but also one of the toughest players to coach. He worked wonderfully with some coaches, but with others, he couldn’t see eye to eye. For example, his time in Dallas was marked by his confrontation with Rick Carlisle more than his playing.
Holiday talked about how coaches have egos and when they run into players who think they are smarter or equally smart as their coach, there is a problem. He said,
“Rondo’s basketball mind is great. I think that coaches have egos as well and sometimes when you have a player who is just as smart, or smarter than the coach, or has a different philosophy toward the game than you that creates conflict. I think sometimes that’s what happened where they are like, all right you’re the point guard but you’re still the point guard I’m the coach. So at the end of the day I have the last say. But Rondo is similar and was like no you don’t, you don’t have the last say. I have the last say. I think that’s where a lot of conflict and pushback came between Rondo and why that narrative came out in Dallas.”
It is worth mentioning that during his time in New Orleans, Rondo had Alvin Gentry as his coach. As Holiday mentioned, Gentry is one of the best player-centric, chilled, and layback coaches.
Will Rondo Be a Head Coach?
Many current and former players believe that Rajon Rondo will make a great coach one day. For now, he is a guest coach for the Milwaukee Bucks. He joined his former coach Doc Rivers as an assistant/guest during training camp and will continue that role through the 2024-25 regular season.
There might be one flaw in Rondo’s coaching aspirations. While he has a lot of experience and a high basketball IQ, he is not the best at dealing with hot-headed people. Coaching requires plenty of patience, and Rondo was never known for it.
Earlier this year, he spoke about wanting a head-coaching job and joked that he is waiting for LeBron to buy a Las Vegas team. But he also talked about who he wanted on his staff, and the first name was Demarcus ‘Boogie’ Cousins. He said,
“Hopefully, really soon, I’ll be in coaching, ready to hire my new staff. I believe Boog might make the cut. I do need an enforcer on the staff. These kids nowadays, they might fight the coach. So, I need a guy like Boog on the staff.”
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