BOSTON — Rajon Rondo openly admitted Friday that his defensive effort before his trade to the Dallas Mavericks had been suspect at best.
In fact, Rondo said he hadn’t played real defense “in a couple of years,” instead leaving that job up to Avery Bradley, his former partner in the Celtics’ backcourt.
That couldn’t have been something C’s head coach Brad Stevens wanted to hear, but he wasn’t looking to make any more waves when asked about the point guard’s comments.
“No, I don’t have any reaction,” Stevens said before Friday night’s Celtics-Mavericks matchup at TD Garden. “I don’t know the context of the discussion; I don’t know the seriousness of his answer, so I don’t really have any reaction to that. He’s a really good player, and I’m certainly not here right now to be critical or analytical of his comments to the media. I think, like everybody else, I’m excited for him that he’s in a great opportunity and has a great opportunity in Dallas. I hope we play well against him (Friday).”
Despite Rondo’s latest admission, there’s no reason to believe he’ll receive anything less than the warmest of welcomes in his return to Causeway Street.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
