Early in the summer, the guard was criticized on the radio by general manager Danny Ainge, who said that the 23-year-old still had a lot of work to do, maturity-wise. It sparked a verbal war of sorts between Ainge and Rondo's agent, Bill Duffy, who claimed that a GM should never air those kinds of concerns publicly.
Throughout the whole ordeal, Rondo stayed mum, and now, with Boston's 2009-10 opener looming on Oct. 27, he's not disappointing anyone in terms of his maturity on the court.
Head coach Doc Rivers told the Boston Herald that Rondo's progression — particularly on defense — has been a major highlight of this preseason.
"I think he's a better defender this year than he was last year because he's doing more team things," Rivers told the Herald after Saturday's practice. "He's not gambling as much, he's staying in front of the ball, he's doing a fantastic job of getting over pick and rolls. And that was one of his weak points last year. He would reach on pick and rolls instead of getting in front of the ball and squaring it up. He's done that great, so that's his improvement."
Rivers thinks Rondo still has room to improve, despite the fact that a recent poll of GM's ranked Rondo among the top defenders in the league.
"That's because they don't coach," Rivers said. "Don't get me wrong — Rondo's a fantastic defender — but he's got a level to go and he can be a great, great defender. For him to do that, he has to stay in front of the ball. When the GM's start coaching, then we'll listen to them. Until then, go with the coaches."
