Like many rookies in their first game, Rondo was dazed for quite a while after coming off the bench.
Although he had played many games in high school and college and was very familiar with the content and flow of a basketball game, entering the NBA still left him unsure of what he should do for a moment.
However, compared to other rookies, 20-year-old Rondo was clearly more clear-headed.
After running with his teammates and opponents for a few turns, Rondo quickly understood his positioning on the court and knew what he should be doing.
Even though he was a Point Guard, he did not take primary control of organizing the offense, but acted as a secondary organizer, serving as a transit point that enhanced the flow of the half-court offense.
His main task was to feed the ball to either Ah Gan or Yao Ming. As for self-directed offense, knowing his shooting wasn’t great, he didn’t give up on moving, but instead actively ran to find gaps and opportunities.
On defense, Rondo was even more active; he would attack the ball handler when the Clippers counterattacked, disrupting and interfering from behind to ruin the Clippers’ offensive efforts.
Other than poor shooting, Rondo was excellent and mature in other aspects.
During the training camp, Porter’s main dissatisfaction with Rondo was also his shooting, which he attempted to correct.
After all, at his peak, Porter was one of the best shooters in the League, known for stopping abruptly and making a three-point shot during counterattacks in the NBA.
Seeing a Point Guard with an oversized hand causing numerous issues during shooting, naturally made him anxious.
Nonetheless, Rondo on the court tried his best to cover his shooting deficiency with performances in other areas.
For example, his speed, his vision, his passing—Rondo’s ball distribution was truly excellent, never sluggish. He was always looking to keep himself in motion rather than stopping to observe before passing, which could stifle the team’s offense and give the opponent’s defense a break.
Rondo played for five minutes in the second quarter, scoring no points but recording one steal, two rebounds, and one assist. During his time on the court, the team’s half-court set offense was smooth.
Once he was taken out for a rest, Porter asked Rondo, "Five minutes in, how does it feel?"
"Our offense is a bit slow."
Porter thought to himself, "You really are unabashed. I asked how you felt about your play, yet you started critiquing the team’s offense?"
But that’s just Rondo’s character—straightforward and self-important. In the entire Glory, Rondo only truly revered Ah Gan; other people he more or less didn’t consider worth his attention.
Even though he was a rookie.
While playing at the University of Kentucky, Rondo dared to defy the coach and execute the offense in his own way.
It’s worth noting that in college basketball, the head coach has absolute authority, being the true Emperor within the team, especially in a prestigious school like Kentucky, where the coach, Tubby Smith, led the team to an NCAA championship. Rondo was fearless indeed.
Upon entering the NBA, joining a team like Las Vegas Radiance, overshadowed by the Suns, Rondo in his draft speech did not simply praise Ah Gan. Instead, he said, "I hope my arrival can solve the challenges Ah Gan faces, since he is my idol."
Such words caused a stir in the media—you’re not even a lottery pick, yet you aspire to solve the problems of Ah Gan?
Gan Guoyang faced Rondo’s "arrogance" with a very cooperative statement: "This is the reason I recommended choosing him."
Rondo is indeed somewhat arrogant, but from another perspective, he is very confident and holds himself to high standards. He yearns for victory and success.
Gan Guoyang has been the most successful basketball player globally over the past 20 years, but as time passes, his decision to not retire brings with it a host of challenges.
Rondo believes he can offer help. September’s training camp with the Glory confirmed this in his mind—he believes he can be a good partner for Ah Gan, and only Ah Gan’s basketball IQ matches up to his own.
As for others, having interacted for a while, Rondo began to feel "not particularly impressive."
Take head coach Porter, for example; in Rondo’s view, his tactical repertoire is really quite limited, just a few plays.
The routine processes and setups for a regular season, then a handful of tactics for crucial moments, and that’s it.
So, deep down, Rondo does not consider Porter an outstanding coach; he relies more on holding onto Ah Gan.
Rondo truly idolizes only Ah Gan, but seeing Ah Gan at 42 years of age showing signs of declining glory stirs complex emotions in him. At just 20, he hasn’t yet learned how to express them, only feeling a bit of resentment.
At halftime, the Glory Team led the Clippers by 54-47, a 7-point difference. The Clippers managed to bring the score down to single digits at the end of the second quarter, relying on Mobley and Cassell’s three-point shots.
The Clippers’ backcourt duo is formidable, but Cassell is, after all, 37 years old; not every player is Jordan or Ah Gan—at this age, a downturn in performance can happen in an instant.
You could already see in the first half that Cassell’s performance was not as good as last season. Shots that could directly be mid-range pull-ups left him hesitant, seeking better opportunities.
A slight decline in physical condition can turn what were once opportunities into missed ones.
Gan Guoyang is the same; he has spent two seasons gradually adjusting to the decline in leg explosive power, and has revamped his shooting mechanism.
The new mechanism offers more stability than before, although it compromises resistance to interference.