TSN is breaking down 30 teams in 30 days and previewed the Celtics on September 1st. One head scratching analysis was that of Rajon Rondo. I don't see how you can say he isn't a playmaker. But here's the text:
Much of the trepidation surrounding the Celtics' potential success begins right here, with Rondo as their starting point guard. Here we have a player who had a typical rookie season, with its usual peaks and valleys, who is now being asked to helm one of the most potent offenses in the NBA. It now falls on Rondo's shoulders to distribute shots and run a team comprised of some of the best players of this generation. And he's not a playmaker. Rondo is best compared to a guard like Brevin Knight or Earl Watson. He provides defense and a tempo change from a starting guard, but he himself still has a lot to learn about the fundamentals of the position before he can really be put in a class with Knight or Watson, let alone with the kind of top-flight guard a team like this would theoretically dictate. Either way, as a lead guard there is no reason to believe that he is ready to helm this attack, and that could become especially true in the Playoffs when each round he'll be facing off against an opponent savvier than him.