Former Boston Celtics big man Kendrick Perkins has never been shy about sharing his feelings on all things basketball. The 2008 NBA champion turned ESPN analyst regularly brings the heat on television as well as social media with a seemingly endless flow of hot takes.
Earlier this week, it was Celtics star Jayson Tatum that got caught in his crosshairs. As relayed by Heavy.com’s Vinny Somma, Perkins tweeted that Tatum had the “body language and energy level of an underpaid player” despite the fact that the All-Star forward inked a massive contract extension in November.
On Thursday, the 14-year NBA veteran was back at it again with another Celtics-centric hot take.
However, rather than use his platform to criticize the current club, this time he backed one of his former teammates as an all-time great.
Perk Calls Rajon Rondo the ‘Most Underrated’ Ever
The Los Angeles Clippers locked down a key win over the Phoenix Suns in front of a national viewing audience on TNT on Thursday. And while Kawhi Leonard and Paul George led the way for LA, the Clippers may not have prevailed without the contributions of former Celtics point-man Rajon Rondo.
In just 19 minutes off the bench, Rondo scored 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting (including three triples). He also added nine assists, three boards, a steal and zero turnovers in the game. As a result, the Suns were outscored by 24 points when he was on the floor — in a game they lost by 10 points.
Rondo’s big night inspired Perkins to fire off the following Twitter declaration:
“Rondo is the most underrated PG of All-Time. Real Talk!”
Although unsung floor generals like Mike Conley, Andre Miller, Rod Strickland, Avery Johnson and others might have something to say about Perkins’ take, he may just be onto something here.
Rondo’s Resume
Although the ’08 Celtics were propelled to the Larry O’Brien Trophy by their Big 3, Rondo’s contributions were still crucial to the team’s success. He continued to play at a high level for several years after Boston’s big win, too.
The four-time All-Star may never have earned the same level of praise as point guards like Chris Paul, Steve Nash, Tony Parker, Deron Williams or Russell Westbrook during his heyday, but some of Rondo’s career numbers are definitely on par with theirs.
Rondo currently ranks 13th all-time in assists per game at 8.1. Likewise, he is 15th all-time in career assists with more than 7,300. He also has the 13th-most triple-doubles of all time with 32.
Among active players, Rondo is sixth in career steals (1,473), 10th in steals per game (1.6) and 12th in defensive win shares (40.6) as well.
Even now, as a role player nearing the end of his career, he is making waves. Rondo played an important part in the LA Lakers’ title win in 2020 and, more recently, he motivated the Clippers to part with super-sub Lou Williams in the trade-deadline deal to acquire him from the Atlanta Hawks.
Not too shabby for a 35-year-old non-shooter.
Over 900-plus career games, Rondo has averaged 10 points, eight assists and nearly five rebounds per game.
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Celtics Alum Calls Former Teammate ‘Most Underrated PG of All Time’