Programming note: Kings-Clippers coverage starts tonight at 7pm with Kings Pregame Live on CSN California, and streaming live right here (territory restrictions apply).
SACRAMENTO -- It didn’t take long for the naysayers to chime in on Rajon Rondo. All of one game and media members and fans alike were ready to once again cast aside the 29-year-old four-time All-Star.
There is no question that Rondo looked off in Wednesday’s season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Four points on 2-of-8 shooting isn’t going to turn heads, at least not the right way. Neither are four assists and two turnovers in a 25-minute night.
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A sample size of one game was enough for some to call for a change in the lineup. Talk about a short leash.
A sample size of two games is no better, but Rondo’s performance against a bad Lakers team on Friday night might have a few people ready to take a step back in their evaluation of the former Celtic.
21 points on 9-of-13 shooting is more than expected. Eight assists, three rebounds and a steal in 25 minutes tells you that the he can still play, despite all of the chatter that says otherwise.
“I know a lot of people doubted me, but they’ve doubted me since I came in the league,” Rondo said. “It doesn’t really bother me at all. I go from the gym to home, home to the gym.”
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[INSTANT REPLAY: Rondo, Kings' big men bully Lakers]
Rondo has been putting in the time. The player that fans saw in game against the Clippers is not the player that his teammates have seen through training camp and preseason.
“He’s been looking like that in practice,” Omri Casspi said. “I feel like the more the season goes, the better we’re going to learn how to read him because he’s such a willing passer.”
Sacramento finished with 26 assists as a team on their way to 132 points Friday night. They also left plenty of opportunities for assists on the floor during their drubbing of the Lakers.
Rookie Willie Cauley-Stein got the start playing goalie behind Rondo and he came away in awe of the his lead guard’s skill set. For a 22-year-old kid who grew up watching the NBA, this was a treat to see one of the game’s best play to his talent level.
“That’s that Boston Rondo that we definitely grew up watching,” Cauley-Stein said. “It was cool to, like see that. Rondo at his finest. That was cool.”
Cousins would have none of the “old Rondo” talk. He also refused to give his teammate too many compliments due to their locker proximity.
“You get older, but you get wiser,” Cousins said. “I feel like he understands the game even more than he did at that point. The old Rondo? I don’t know what that means. The same Rondo to me.”
The Kings hope the “same Rondo” shows up each and every night this season. At his best, he is an elite playmaker. He not only orchestrates an offense with the best of them, but he is a tenacious defender as well.
The player that stepped on the floor tonight is the player the Kings were hoping they were getting when they inked Rondo this summer. The veteran is making a tremendous impact on the players around as a vocal leader that sets the tone in both practice and games.
It’s too early to judge Sacramento’s investment one way or the other, but if tonight’s performance was any indication of what is to come, the Kings got a free agent steal.
THE GOOD:
During pregame, rookie Willie Cauley-Stein appeared cool, calm and collected. It’s not what you would expect out of a rookie about to start his first NBA game two games into the regular season.
But Cauley-Stein isn’t a your everyday NBA player. After three seasons at Kentucky, the Kings drafted him sixth overall in the 2015 NBA Draft with the hopes that he could make an immediate impact on the defensive end of the court.
Like Rondo’s big night, Cauley-Stein’s breakout game should be looked at through the lens of the sample size and also the quality of the opponent. That didn’t stop his teammates from gushing over the young big’s performance.
“I thought Willie was incredible tonight,” Cousins said. “His energy, his athleticism, just his defensive talent - he put it on full display tonight. You can just see the potential and I feel like he’s going to be a big piece for this team. He’s a great addition.”
“When you get a young guy like that that has so much potential and he’s willing to listen, the sky’s the limit for him,” Rondo said.
Cauley-Stein is a work in progress, but his level of talent and athleticism is incredible. Friday night against the Lakers, he dropped in 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting, grabbed nine rebounds, blocked three shots and picked up a steal. In short, he was a stat-stuffing one-man wrecking crew.
The rookie has a long ways to go, specifically as an offensive player, but his instincts on the defensive side of the ball are top notch. Rondo sees the potential and he is working to help focus Cauley-Stein’s talents and add new dimensions to his game.
“Offense is going to come, but he’s way ahead of his years as a rookie big man,” Rondo said. “He’s in the right spot a lot of times. He’s not a vocal guy, but I’m trying to work on that aspect - getting him to talk and not just talking but knowing exactly when to say what.”
According to Karl, Cauley-Stein will start Saturday against the Clippers. Getting his rookie’s feet wet as a starter against a team from Los Angeles was a smart move by a veteran coach, but the Lakers are not the Clippers. Welcome to the NBA young man, meet Blake Griffin.
THE BAD:
A win over the Lakers still counts in the win column, but the excitement should be tempered. This is a very young Los Angeles team and what little veteran presence remains did not play well.
This is a team the Kings should beat handily, especially on their home floor. There are many positives to take away from the game, but Sacramento has to bring the same intensity and execution into Saturday’s matchup against the Clippers. If not, this is just a nice win over a bad team.
After watching the Lakers play tonight, they will be lucky to win 25 games this season. I’m not sure that is what Kobe Bryant was looking for when he returned for his 20th season.
THE TAKE:
The Kings outscored the Lakers 80-38 in points in the paint. That is the highest mark by a Kings team in the 20 years that the league has tracked the stat. This is one of the marks of a George Karl team. If the Kings can continue this trend, they have a great shot at being very good.