Rajon Rondo is going to be an All Star this year. I have no doubt whatsoever. Last year I was hoping for it, this year I know it. The thing is, there isn't a lot that he's doing this year that he didn't do at times last year. We've seen him rack up the assists and steals. We've seen him score when called upon to do so. We've seen him rebound and run the offense. We've seen that behind the back fake pass and the alley oops to KG and all that stuff. What we haven't seen before this year was consistency.
Looking back at last year's game logs, he was off and on for the first month, pretty good during the late November win streak, pretty good in December, and then pretty bad in early January (especially during the 4 game losing streak) which just about cooked him for All Star consideration. He finished out the year well, picking up a lot of the slack with Garnett out. Then he had that memorable Chicago series, which I think left a positive impression (and bodes well for his chances this year).
Compare all that to this year. There's maybe 1 or 2 below average games, but the rest are just solid (statistically speaking). Out of the 24 games thus far, he's scored in double figures 18 times. He's logged double figure assist totals in 14 games. He's only had 3 games where he didn't get double figures in one category or the other. And here's my favorite one: There has been only one game where Rondo failed to record a steal (and that followed a 5 steal effort the game before).
So far this year, the man has been a machine. One game after another a solid performance. He's also drawn raves from Doc for his improved team defense. He knows his teammates and they trust him to set up the offense and distribute the ball. KG is even raving about his improved leadership.
And all this coming after the offseason that Rondo had is all the more impressive. Between trade rumors, questions about his character, and uncertainty about his contract, he must have been pretty distracted. Yet he remained focused. Maybe all that even sharpened his focus. He seems to have a "I'll show you" mentality that fuels him better than Red Bull ever will.
So by all means, let the critics keep the criticisms coming. Harp on his outside shot. Question his attitude. Do your best to tear him down. As for me, I'll sit back and watch him tear you apart. Little by little. Game by game. Assist by assist. Steal by steal. Win by win.
Rondo will be an All Star this year and a star for years to come because he's learned how to be consistent.